


Journey to Greatness

by Prince_Duke



Series: Hitting the Road [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: A little bit of everything, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pokemon AU, Pokemon Breeder!Will, Rival!Percy, Slow Burn, Trainer!Nico, slow start
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-12
Updated: 2017-01-08
Packaged: 2018-07-14 17:41:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 55,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7183712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prince_Duke/pseuds/Prince_Duke
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nico starts his journey through the Olympia region with his Pokemon partner, Cubone. Through his journey he experiences many challenges and obstacles to overcome as he trains to challenge the Olympia Pokemon League. On his treck, he meets a Pokemon Breeder in-training called Will, who tags along to see the world. At least, that's one of his reasons.</p><p>Pokemon AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginning of a Journey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~This is my first attempt at story-telling writing, but I've written tons of quality papers, so it can't be that different, right? Maybe.~~
> 
> Paragraph breaks indicated by a tilde (~) are a shift in time, while paragraph breaks indicated by a horizontal line indicate a shift in perspective between our two heroes, Will and Nico.
> 
> It's been more than a year since I wrote this, and I've since come back to rewrite the whole first part. Re-reading it, I felt like it was lacking in many areas. So the story you'll be reading as of 8/2/17 isn't the same as it was in 2016. The plot and general structure remain the same, but I've revised quality and consistency, as well as grammatical updates and story hints sooner than I had in the past. I hope you enjoy this updated story ^^
> 
> Finally, every chapter that's been revised will have a bolded **Updated!** at the beginning chapter notes.

Nico woke to a tug on his arm. He opened his eye groggily to see the faint outline of a Pokemon standing on his bed. He groaned and pulled the covers back over his head. It was too early. The sweet silence of the early morning lulled him back to sleep, but a low growl at the foot of his bed woke him back up. Nico sighed and shifted in his bed.

"Cubone, go back to sleep."

The Pokemon retorted with a short "Cubone!" and jumped off the bed towards the curtains, swishing them open and letting light come in. The morning sunlight gushed into Nico's room, and Cubone launched itself into the bed, determined to get Nico up. After the first four tackles, Nico gave up.

"Fine! Fine. I don't know what your deal is today. It's 5:00 A.M. on a Saturday!"

Nico got into a sitting position and stared at Cubone, who stood at the edge of the bed with equal challenge. Nico glared for a moment before he remembered: he was going to start his journey today. Today was the day he had decided to leave home and travel around the Olympia region.

"Right! Right. We've got a lot to do today. Thanks, Cubone." Nico said with a sigh. Looking pleased, Cubone sat on the floor and began playing with its bone while Nico started to get up. Nico went about his morning in a hurry, making his bed in record time and running to the bathroom for a shower. He idly thought about the day ahead as he changed out of his pajamas and got into the shower. He let the water run down his back, taking his time. It was probably going to be a while before he took another shower again, and he wanted to enjoy it.

As he washed his hair, he let his thoughts wander. Nico had never really felt at peace anywhere, even here at home. He didn't have the most normal childhood, jumping from orphanage to orphanage with his sister Bianca. Nico didn't like to think about the past, and whenever he thought about his sister, he couldn't stop himself into a guilt-ridden stupor. Before the usual feelings could settle, Nico quickly turned his mind to other things.

He wondered how his step-mom felt knowing he was leaving on this journey. When he had told her, she had nodded with a sad smile. Hazel, his sister, had left for her own journey a few years ago, and although she visited often, it wasn't the same without her living in the house.

 

Nico felt guilty leaving his step-mom alone, but he knew he had to take this journey. All his life, he had secluded himself from everyone he knew, ever since  _the incident_ , and Nico knew that he couldn't live like that forever. He wasn't sure what he hoped to accomplish, or even if he was going to accomplish anything, but being here at home wouldn't do him any good, either. 

Nico finished showering and stepped out with a towel wrapped around his waist. As he pulled on a pair of boxers, Nico made a mental note to send a card to Hazel through carrier Pidove, asking her to come visit so his step-mom wasn't entirely alone.

Hazel wasn't actually his sister, but she was his half-sister. After years at the orphanage, when Nico had no one else, he was sent to a family who, according to the adults, were his other family members. Apparently, his mother was his father's second wife, and this family Nico had been sent to was from his father's first family. The Levesque's were kind and loving and treated Nico as their own, but Nico couldn't help but feel anger towards his father for doing that to him. He had never bothered to show up after all that time, and when he did acknowledge Nico existed, he never once talked or met with him. Just whisked him away to another woman who was not his mother and an older half-sibling who could not replace Bianca. But despite all this, Nico grew up to love his family, minus his father. 

Fully dressed and groomed, Nico made his way to his bed and sat down. His room was plastered in different Pokemon posters, all of which were either Elite Four promos or Battle Tournament posters from over the years. Nico found a sense of liberating peace in Pokemon Battles. The fast rush of quick thinking and meddle, combined with high stakes and strategy let him forget about everything else. On the battlefield, it was just him, Cubone, and his opponent. No personal interactions, no commitment to knowing or caring about the opponent. If talking to people was done exclusively through battle, Nico would be all over it.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Nico grabbed his pack that he had made the week before. He unpacked and checked he had everything he needed, just like he had done the day before, and the day before that. Feeling satisfied, Nico repacked all the Potions, PokéBalls, and camping essentials he had laid out on his bed. Grabbing a duffel bag, Nico began packing some clothes for the trip. Granted, all his clothes consisted of varying shades of black, but he still took the time to pick them out. He pulled his favorite aviator jacket over his shoulder. With his duffel bag, sleeping bag, and Trainer Bag, Nico made his way downstairs, with Cubone close behind.

On his last day at home, Nico expected his stepmother to be waiting for him, but the house was empty. The living room looked freshly cleaned, the dishes in the kitchen sink were clean from last night, but there wasn’t a soul in sight. A Lillipup came scuttling out from the kitchen, carrying a small note. Nico patted the dog Pokemon on its furry head and took the letter.

 

_Nico,_

 

_I'm sorry I couldn't be here to see you off. I have to go to work early, and it couldn't wait. I'm going to miss you very much. Take good care of Cubone, and be sure to not overdo it. I know_ you _have the ability to do anything you set your mind to. Just have faith. Come back soon, okay? Head over to Professor Chiron first thing. He's got something for you. He should be in Berge Town, which is the next town, you can't miss it._

 

_Take care._

 

Nico felt a heavy weight on his chest. He had at least wanted to say a proper goodbye to his stepmother. He found a Town Map on the kitchen counter with a note saying, "You'll need this." on it. Before he left, Nico filled Lillipup's bowl with some food. He took one last good look at the walls and rooms, silently saying goodbye. It might have been silly, but it was the closest thing he had to home after the hell he'd lived through, and he was sad to leave it behind. Cubone all the while stood by his side, looking around as well. Finally, Nico made it to the doorway and made his way outside.

The air was brisk and clean, the way it always felt on a quiet morning. Nico could hear the cooing of Pidgeys off into the forest, and some Kricketots playing a soft melody that matched the grey morning. Nico locked the door behind him and pulled on his jacket, stuffing his hands in his pockets and making sure Cubone was with him before heading out into the grey morning day.

 

 

This was not how Will thought this day would go. As the morning buzz grew more active, Will had started to attend to all his chores at his mother's Daycare Center. Having worked at the Daycare for most of his life, he expected a lot of things. He had expected for the Skitty from the old lady down the road to need cleaning and brushing after running around in the dirt all night. He'd expected to patch up the Shinx from that guy staying at the town for a bit after it eventually hurt itself trying to climb a tree. He even expected for one of the Pokemon pairs to have an Egg any day now, and he had planned accordingly. Will was ready to do all these things at the crack of dawn, which he did, as part of his job here at the Daycare Center. What he hadn't been ready for was a letter from his father to show up in the mail. He hardly ever heard about him, much less receive a letter from him.

After staring at the envelope sitting on his lap for a few minutes, Will started to fumble with the letter in his hands, not really prepared for anything that the letter might contain. Just as he was about to shelve the paper for a later time, Will felt a soft squish as Igglybuff landed on his head.

"Igglybuff?", the Pokemon questioned with enthusiasm.

Will sighed, and shook his head. "I don't know, Igglybuff. I don't know what to expect. We hardly ever hear from him.”

"Buff!"

"It can't be anything good, right? I mean, he only ever gets in touch on a birthday, and even that's rare."

"Iggly..."

Both Igglybuff and Will went back and forth like this for a few minutes, with Igglybuff using a few eloquent "Buff! Puff! Iggly!" phrases as retorts to Will's protests. Finally, Will gave in to Igglybuff's persistence.

"Okay, okay. You don't have to be so rude," Will said with a nervous chuckle. He opened the letter and began to read.

_William,_

_I want you to come visit me in the big city! I know you're getting to the age where you want to study for a profession, and I thought you'd want to start here! We've got the finest pre-med program here, and you're going to love it! Since you've always wanted to be like your great old dad, starting here can let you become a great medic, just like me. Let me know ASAP so that I can get one of my assistants to Fly out there and fetch you._

 

_See you soon!_

 

_Apollo_

 

Will stared at the letter and reread it a few times. He wasn't sure what to feel if he was being honest with himself. The use of “William” wasn’t a good start. The tone of the letter overall wasn’t great, either.

Will had mixed feelings about his father; he never knew him, and what little interaction he had with him was not always the best experience. Apollo was hard to keep up with. He never really paid much attention to Will, instead treating him as if Will had the attention of a teaspoon, like Will was a pet that Apollo could humor for a minute and Will would be satisfied. Will didn't have the connection with his father like he did with his mother. In part, it was because Apollo was simply never home. As founder of a new, interconnected network of Pokemon Centers in the Olympia region, Apollo spent most of his time attending to business matters and was too wrapped up in himself to care.

At some point in his life, Will admired his dad. He was always told that his father was a legendary medic, and Will aspired to be like him. But as time went on, that admiration turned into distant disconnect after years of disappearance at a time. It left a bitter taste in his mouth. Now, he hardly wanted to be anywhere near the place that had Apollo so enthralled in his work.

Igglybuff let out an indignant "Buff!" and poked Will in the face, snapping Will back into reality.

"Sorry, Igglybuff. You know how it is with my dad. Don't worry about it. Let's get back to work."

"Iggly!"

Will set the letter on his drawer, deciding to get back to it later. He'd have enough time to think about it, and he was pretty confident that Apollo would probably forget he even sent the letter if Will didn't reply back. Hell, he’d probably forget if Will sent a reply, anyway. Although, if Will was being honest with himself, he didn't want to take his father up on his offer. If Will was going to be someone in Olympia, it wouldn't be because his father pulled strings. Not that he wasn’t perfectly content with working at the Daycare.

Will made his way back to his daily chores, helping his mother feeding the Daycare charge, while Igglybuff happily hummed a tune as it rode on Will's head.

 

* * *

 

 

The scenery down Route 1 was both pleasantly silent and disappointingly empty. Nico had high hopes of finding new Pokemon past the gates that led to Route 401, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. He'd never been here on foot or on his own; as a kid, he often went down by a side route just south of his home to a forest, but that was it. Nico eyed the surrounding wilderness, but only caught a few glimpses of a few bug-types and Pidgeys. Nothing special.

Nico and Cubone continued to walk down the long road, only stopping once in a while to check out some rustling in the grass. Cubone growled slightly in disappointment every time it turned out to be a Pidgey or Caterpie. Nico and Cubone had trained a lot at home, but battling common Pidgeys and assorted Bug-types only got you so far. Noticing the Pokémon’s irritation, Nico picked Cubone up and placed it on his back.

"Don't worry Cubone. We're going to find some new Pokemon to battle soon. You’ll see.”

The town of Berge was within sight, the place where Professor Chiron's lab was. The pair picked up the pace and reached the town within a few minutes. The town itself was small and quaint, with a few dozen cottages arranged in neat rows. Despite the size of the town, there were quite a few residents outside, chatting and going about their morning errands. According to Nico's Poketch, it was 8:13 A.M., so Nico figured the Professor's lab would be open. He wasn't quite sure where the lab actually was, but he decided to look for it on his own. He wasn't too keen on talking to strangers unless he couldn't find the lab. Cubone jumped off and started walking around, taking in the sight of the town. Nico followed him, for lack of a better lead.

After a few minutes of idle wandering, Nico stumbled across a white, worn down marble building that looked distinctly different from the rest. The building had a dome-like structure at the front, with columns scattered between the other sections of the building. Above the door was an emblem of a bow and arrow. It looked distinctly ancient yet well-maintained, easily predating any of the other houses and shops in town. Professor Chiron must have been ancient.

The sliding glass doors were surprisingly modern, aa stark contrast to the worn marble that made the whole building.

The interior was more surprising than the doors - the place looked like a state-of-the-art office, with stocked bookshelves hugging the wall and a tank housing a school of Remoraid against the furthest right of the wall across the room. The floor was a gleaming pristine marble, and the wall was ornately decorated with pictures of Pokemon Nico couldn't identify. A single desk was placed in the middle, which Nico assumed was the reception.

Nico approached the front desk, to a young woman sitting by a computer. Nico held back a sigh. 

"Um ... hi. I was wondering if this was Professor Chiron's lab," Nico said.

The woman looked up and smiled before saying, "Yes, that's right. Do you have an appointment with him?" The woman looked through a binder she pulled out from a cabinet. "I don't have anyone written down for one today."

"No, I was just told to come here. I mean, Professor Chiron is expecting me?" Nico managed to say, although the last sentence came out as a question. Nico cursed himself internally.

"Ah, you must be Nico then?"

After a quick nod from Nico, the woman smiled again and pointed towards a door to the left. "His office is through there."

Nico excused himself and walked to Chiron's office quickly, with Cubone following closely.

If Nico could be any more surprised about all the stark contrasts in this building, he was. The office resembled that of a summer retreat cabin, complete with wood-planked walls and floors, terrible-looking carpets and comfy cushions to boot. There was even a fireplace off to the left of the room, and a pool table in the middle of the room. A dart board hung on the wall, and a couch sat against the back of the room.

Nico was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard the closing of a book to his right. A bearded man was sitting behind a desk, putting a book away into his bag before directing his attention to Nico.

"You must be Mr. di Angelo," he said. "The one whose mother I talked to yesterday?"

Nico nodded slightly, not sure what to make of the situation. He felt intimidated, to feel the least. While the place felt very homelike, the man who he assumed to be Chiron had an air that only comes from many years of experience. Far from old yet clearly a veteran at whatever he did, the man’s tie and vest outfit, like that of a school teacher, felt out of place in such a laid-back room. Nico stood silently in the silence until he realized Chiron was expecting more than just a nod.

"Yes sir - but she's my step-mom. Anyway, I'm starting my journey today and she said I should come here first. I don’t know if that means anything,” Nico said.

Chiron nodded before reclining back in his chair and said, "So, you're starting your journey then. Do you have anything you want to accomplish during your travels? Surely you have something in mind."

"No ... I haven't really thought about it," Nico said, shifting on his feet. "I just wanted to experience new things. Find new Pokemon, find some battles."

While he wasn't telling the whole truth, he also wasn't lying. In reality, he wanted to take a journey for a lot of reasons. Ever since his sister passed away, Nico felt alone and isolated. For a long time, he spent his days depressed and secluded, away from anyone that tried to talk to him. At one point, he even ran away from his childhood friends and everyone he knew. Things had gotten better when he met Cubone, and for the most part, he was able to heal. He still spent a lot of time pushing people away, but he got better, even if the sadness never truly left him. It wasn't until a few months ago that he decided that he wanted to see the world, for Bianca's sake. She would have liked to travel the world. Apart from that, a very silly part of him clung to the hope that maybe he could stumble across his father, whoever and wherever he was.

"Hm. Well, I think it'd do you well to have a definite goal in mind. Many trainers travel for different reasons. Some look to catalog their own Pokédex and study each Pokemon in the region. Others look for the rush of competition, training their Pokemon for the highest level of battling. I suggest you find something to set your mind to. You'll find that having something to reach for will help you grow as a person and let you push the limits on not only you but also your Pokemon."

Nico let silence fall again, thinking carefully, before saying, "I'll keep that in mind, Professor."

Chiron gave Nico a smile, which lifted some of the tension Nico had been feeling. "Good. Now, the reason you're here is because I typically help new adventurous trainers start off." Chiron got up from his chair and made his way towards a cabinet and a strange machine that was attached to a computer, both of which were located behind Chiron's desk. "Normally, I help trainers start off who are much younger than you, but that doesn't matter. It would still be my pleasure to supply you with some tools that will help you on your journey."

Chiron pulled out two boxes from the cabinet and placed them on the desk. "Because you're still figuring out what you want to do, I'll give you everything you could need. This here," Chiron signaled to the smaller, white box on the left, "is a Pokédex. It'll be useful, even if you don't want to research Pokemon on your own. And this one," again, Chiron signaled to Nico, "is a Battle Monitor. It'll help you visualize all the information on your Pokemon that you will need, in and out of battle. Usually, I would also give you a starter Pokemon, but I see you already have a close friend."

Chiron nodded towards Cubone, who had long since stopped paying attention in favor of playing with a globe of the world on the floor.

Chiron hesitated, clearly having more to say but thinking better of it. "I believe I've taken enough of your time, Nico. The day is getting along, and you should get going."

The conversation ended quickly, with Nico thanking Chiron for all the help before exiting the pseudo-ancient-modern-lab-turned-summer-house with all his things. He arranged his bag to carry the Pokédex and the Battle Monitor before setting onto Route 402. He had a bit of while before he got to the next town, and he already felt tired. Cubone climbed onto his backpack, hanging onto the straps for support to rest.

There was still a full day ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, sorry for it being so slow at the start. I wanted to lay down some world-building info before we jump into the actual story. I plan on writing this thing all the way through to the very end of Nico's journey at the Pokemon League, so it's not ending anytime soon. That being said, I'm a few chapters ahead to see if people are interested in seeing this through. So let me know what you think! I don't have experience with story-telling at all, and I would appreciate all feedback and constructive criticism. 
> 
> Secondly, I want the characters to grow at a natural pace throughout the story. So the whole Solangelo side of things won't be love at first sight but I promise it will be there. I swear on the River Styx *thunder roars in the background*. That means that eventually there will also be some suggestive themes later on. How much, I don't know. We'll burn that bridge when we get to it.
> 
> Finally, thanks for reading! Hope you stick around. Things pick up in the next chapter!
> 
>  
> 
> ~~**Weekly updates on Sundays @ 5PM PST!**~~  
>  **Update Days are on Sundays!**


	2. The First Town

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Updated!**

"Alright, Cubone! Use Bonemerang!"

Cubone brandished its bone, making it flash with a brilliant blue glow. In one swift movement, the Pokemon flung the club at its target. The Fletchling in front of them chirped angrily but was knocked backward before it could retaliate with an attack of its own. The fainted bird Pokemon shook itself awake and flew into the woods, but Nico paid little attention.

Instead, Nico was more interested in the Battle Monitor, a gadget that was secured to his arm. As Cubone ended the battle, Nico saw a small graphic of a Cubone, along with a bar displaying the Pokémon’s HP and experience. The thin blue bar increased until it maxed out, and the machine jingled, reading, "CUBONE has grown stronger!"

After walking down Route 402, Nico decided he would take the day to learn how to use his new tools. Nico exited out of the Battle Window and scrolled through the apps, choosing the Pokemon Window. The device was really useful, showing him information he didn't know could even be measured. He had spent a lot of time battling wild Pokemon back home, but this took it to a whole new level. It was a lot of guess work back then, but now was a whole new way of battling.

Cubone wandered back to Nico and sat by his side. Nico took out an Oran Berry and gave it to him, which Cubone took with happiness. "Let's spend a bit longer here in the woods, Cubone. I want to practice using the Battle Monitor a while longer."

Nico and Cubone spent the rest of the day making their way through Route 402 at their own pace, battling Pokemon that, while new to Nico, weren't something he was all that interested in. He wasn’t in it to train new Pokemon. It seemed like a tedious job, and he really only cared about Cubone, the one Pokemon he had a deep connection with. Anything else felt like a chore.

So instead he chose to battle them and help Cubone grow stronger. His Town Map showed him that the town next town, Helorus, was popular for having the first Pokemon Gym in the Olympia League. Nico didn't have challenging the League on his list of Things-to-Do, but it was something he’d considered. Seeing as he had no other game plan, he thought it’d be a nice thing to strive for as he traveled.

Nico and Cubone continued on their way down Route 402, battling the occasional wild Pokemon as they went.

 

* * *

 

 

After a busy morning of caring for the Daycare charges, Will felt thoroughly tired. He had happily gotten so enveloped by his work that he put aside any problems from earlier in the day. Daycare work was the only thing he really enjoyed to that extreme.

“I’m going to head into town,” Will said as he picked up his sweater from the coat rack.

"Just be back before it gets dark, Will," his mom chided, looking up from the front desk. “And I’ll call you if someone needs training.”

Will called back with a slight smile and a roll of his eyes, "Yeah, I know mom! Don't worry so much. C'mon, Igglybuff."

“You have your Monitor, right? And your wallet?”

“Mom, I’m seventeen! Have a little faith,” Will called, body already out the door. His mother gave him a teasing face before Will shut the door behind him, leaving him to the open road of Route 3.

Living in the house connected to the Daycare, Will lived outside the city of Helorus. Whenever he had a packed day like today, Will liked to visit the town in order to take a break. The town was great - the ambiance was lively yet quiet, and the people there greeted Will with a smile. The residing Gym Leader was always out and about, always with a warm smile and a comforting presence. Will had met her on occasion, and talked with her a few times.

After a bit of walking, Will reached his favorite spot in town. He sat down at the bench near the town center, looking around nonchalantly. Igglybuff floated off his head and jumped around the area, singing a tune absent-mindedly. The town was slightly quieter than usual today, with fewer people going about their day. Will knew all of them by name - because of his job at the Daycare, he met every person one way or another. Coupled with his natural charisma, Will was fast to acquaint himself with other people.

“Let’s go visit Cecil,” Will told Igglybuff, who nodded in agreement. But as he got up to go, a stranger caught his eye.

A dark-haired trainer in an aviator jacket and a Cubone had come into the plaza from the city entrance. He had a scowl set on his face, and with the way his head was fixed towards the ground and the way he had his hand stuffed in his pockets, the guy seemed like he didn't want to talk to anyone.

Will couldn't help but stare. Despite the stranger's "back-off!" image, Will felt a pull to him. Will always liked meeting new people; working at the Daycare was a great way to do that. This was different though - Will had the most irrepressible, illogical desire to talk to him. It really had nothing to do with the fact that Will found the stranger's mystery-dark appearance somewhat attractive. No, definitely not. 

Will watched Death Boy as he walked through the plaza and around the corner. If this guy was a traveling trainer - which he probably was, judging by the luggage - then he'd most likely challenge the Gym and be on his way. 

‘ _Which is a shame_ ,’ Will thought to himself, watching as the trainer continued to walk through the plaza. The way his hair was messily styled really worked for him. ‘ _If Death Boy stayed around, maybe I could talk to him.’_

The thought made Will feel giddy inside.

Will sighed and called out to Igglybuff. "C'mon, puffball! Let's go visit Cecil." The small balloon-Pokemon, oblivious to it all, jumped happily back, and together they made their way in the opposite direction the new guy had taken.

The trip to Cecil's didn't take very long.

 

~

 

"Will? Will? C'mon man, snap out of it, man!"

Will jerked his head up to see Cecil, who was staring at him bemusedly from his bed. Will sat crossed-legged on the floor, with a console controller in his hand. Cecil snickered. "What's got you hung up? You just killed us by not moving," Cecil said, tossing his controller onto the bed. "Twice."

"What? Nothing.”

Cecil rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. You only get that face when you're caught up on something. What is it this time? Did you see one of those ads about the Pokemon that are suffering in the pound unless you donate your life away?" Cecil feigned worry and put his hand to his forehead dramatically. "Oh Will, you could save this poor little Lillipup for only two million dollars and half a kidney."

Will furrowed his eyebrows. "Hey, those commercials are serious, Cecil! You can't make fun of those poor Pokemon."

Cecil continued on as if he hadn't heard Will. "Or maybe you found a super-hot guy and you're dying to go see him." Cecil wiggled his eyebrows in a suggestive way. It was a joke, one that Cecil had said before, but it threw Will off.  It shouldn't have, but the question made his heart skip a beat as if he'd been caught red-handed.

The silence that followed was a little too long, and a blush slowly crept onto Will's cheeks before Will said, “No.”

Cecil grinned wider than he had before, somehow becoming wicked in the process. He said in a sing-song, mocking voice, “Oh gods. I was kidding, but you ARE!”

Will tried to rebut Cecil, but ended up saying, "No-I'm-not-shut-up-Cecil!". Will's words came out fast and guilt-ridden, making him mentally slap himself. He was never going to hear the end of this. Ever. After about fifteen minutes of an endless barrage of taunts, to which Will replied with a variety of sighs and half-hearted comebacks, Cecil let down his attacks. Will groaned; he knew this was definitely not the last time that this would come up. 

"So," Cecil said, "who is this stud?"

 Will groaned again and threw a pillow at Cecil's face, who dodged it. "Cecil, it's no one. It was just some guy who was walking down the street with a Cubone." 

Cecil sprang up from his bed, and exclaimed, "I saw that guy as I was coming home from work! No one in town’s good enough for ya?" Cecil dropped onto the floor next to Will and nudged him with his elbow annoyingly. "I didn't know dark, broody, and mysterious was your type, Willy."

Will felt his face burn up even more and immediately stood up. "All right! Gotta go, see you later."

Will left the room in a hurry, hearing Cecil call after him. "Aw come on, Will! It's just a joke! Oh, wait! Are you going to go see Mr. Darkside?" Will made his way downstairs, Cecil's laughter chasing him down the hall. Igglybuff was outside playing with the family Marill.

Will collected Igglybuff and left Cecil at the stairs, calling out, “Good luck getting past that level without me! Your reaction time is worse than a Slowpoke!”

Will wasn't actually upset, but he was slightly annoyed that Cecil called him out like that about a crush he didn't actually think was a crush -  until Cecil had called it that. Will refused to call it a crush - he hadn't  _met_  the guy, he had just  _seen_  him. And for less than twenty seconds, no less. But he didn’t really have another word for it.

Will sighed for the fifth time that day. And yet he secretly found himself hoping the trainer would stop by the Daycare for some assisted training. Not that Will ran that specific program, or anything.

 

 

Nico realized just how difficult the journey ahead would be. It wasn't because of the traveling, nor because of the opponents, he would face. No, it was because of the  _people_. Nico failed to realize that journeying across the region would require meeting and talking with a lot of people, which in hindsight was obvious, but Nico didn't recognize it.

Of course, it was obvious; he was making his way across places he didn't know, and so he would need to talk to people for help either getting around or advice on how to deal with a local obstacle.

 

Going through that plaza was the first taste of it. Nico didn't  _hate_  talking to people, and he wasn't incapable of it, but he wasn't fond of lively places. Growing up in an orphanage wasn't the best experience to develop social skills, and the only real relationship with people he had when he moved in with Hazel was just Hazel and his step-mom. Rounding the corner was a relief; he didn't want to talk to anyone he didn't have to. He was sure he’d be stopped by merchants along the way, but thankfully he avoided that problem.

After a few wrong turns and more walking than Nico would have liked, he spotted an eye-catching red roof down the road, which meant he found the Pokemon Center. Nico sighed in relief as he stepped into the building. His feet were killing him and he was glad to find a place to crash for his first night. A Nurse Joy smiled at him warmly as he approached the front counter. "Hello there! Are you here to rest-up your Pokemon?" Nurse Joy looked down at Cubone, who was standing by Nico in a reclusive way.

Nico responded, "Uh, no actually. We just want to check in to a room to sleep for the night."

"Well, all right. There are a few rooms open at the moment. Please, this way." Nurse Joy stepped out from behind the counter and towards a hallway to Nico's left. "Have you ever stayed at a Pokemon Center before?"

"No, not really. This is my first time out."

"No worries. All Pokemon Centers around Olympia offer a few rooms for travelers to stay in. We don't offer any hotel-style services though." Nurse Joy added. She opened the door furthest into the hallway, and said, "It's just a bed and a T.V., but we would be happy to recommend to you some local places for food and entertainment around town."

Nico and Cubone stepped into the room before Nico spun around to face Nurse Joy. "Ah, sorry, I forgot to ask, how much for a night's stay?" Nurse Joy shook her head. "Don't worry about payment. The Pokemon Center gladly offers this service for all traveling trainers for free. Be sure to sign-in at the counter if you'd like to reserve the room again for another night. If there's anything else you need from us, please let us know!" Nurse Joy again smiled gently before heading back to the front counter.

Nico closed the door and took his first good look around. The room was small and quaint, with a bed in the middle, a basket for smaller Pokemon to sleep in, and a place to put his PokéBalls for the night. Nico unloaded his gear before collapsing onto the bed, exhausted. Cubone curled up in the basket and was fast asleep in a few minutes. As he got ready for bed, Nico thought back on all the day's events and let the tiredness flow. 

It was only the first day and he already felt exhausted. All he really did was battle all day and walk a couple dozen miles.

_‘I’ll send Hazel a letter first thing tomorrow, and then I’ll scope out the Gym,_ ’ he thought, rolling over on the bed. _‘The less time I have to spend here, the better._ ’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to think that Will was a wreck when he first saw Nico before getting his shit together and acting suave and cool during BoO.
> 
> _I'm going to pick up the pace next chapter I swear._
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated!
> 
> **Weekly updates Sunday @5 P.M.!**


	3. Rough Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Updated!**

Will woke with a start. He was in the middle of a dream about something he could vaguely remember before being shaken out of his sleep. Will shot up and looked around groggily, barely making out anything in his room. After a few seconds, Will's brain began to function and he was able to recognize a Sudowoodo standing at the foot of his bed.

"Hey, Sudo. It's only 4 A.M. Work doesn't start for another two hours."

The Pokemon retreated to the door, pointing its tree-like hand towards the hallway, saying, "Sudo. Sudo wood!"

Will took a pause before understanding. "Does mom need me?"

"Su!" Sudowoodo nodded and went out into the hall and out of sight. Will huffed and fell back into bed, burying his face into his pillow. Despite his chipper upbeat attitude, Will was not a morning person. As much as Will loved doing everything he did during the day, starting it was not part of it.

Igglybuff lay sleeping on top of the bookshelf, slightly drooling; Will couldn't help but feel jealous that he wasn't sleeping, too. Will heaved himself out of bed and pulled on a shirt and some pants that he’d set out the night before. He found his mother packing a bag and rushing back and forth.

"What's up mom?"

Will's mom looked in his direction and smiled before saying "Sorry to have woken you, sweetie. I have to run over to the next town over to deliver some Pokemon back to their owners.  You know, Mavero."

Will didn’t know. He wasn’t familiar with any of the cities outside of Helorus, having spent all of his life here at the Daycare. "Which ones? I don't remember any Pokemon being listed for pickup today."

"Well, it's the Nidorino and Nidorina. They're supposed to get picked up next week, but the owner's got a family emergency. He wanted to pick them up last night, but he can't leave whatever he's got going on and wants his Pokemon to be there. He’s offering a good bonus that we can’t pass up," She finished packing a satchel and slung it over her shoulder. "Thank gods the pair didn't have an Egg. It's not going to take that long. Maybe a day or so. I'm going to take the Gogoat."

Will nodded. "Alright, I'll hold down the fort." Will grabbed the PokéBalls with the client Pokemon inside and handed it to his mother. "I'll check them out of the list. You go on ahead."

"Thanks, Willy. I'll see you tomorrow. Take care, you know the drill." She gave him a hug before heading outside. She recalled Sudowoodo into its PokeBall and closed the door behind her.

Will locked it once he knew for sure she was on her way and plopped onto the couch. He listened to the clatter of hooves as she rode away into Route 2’s Whittling Forest. The silence of dawn settled once again. Will sat there a little while longer, begrudgingly fighting himself on whether he should get an early start on the day or to go back to bed.

Ultimately his laziness got the better of him, and he headed back to his room. The soft glow of the yellow lava lamp on his desk illuminated his way back to his bedside now that the hallway lights were off.

Sitting on his bed, Will stripped off the shirt and tossed it back onto the chair. He closed his eyes, laid down, and quickly fell back to sleep.

He hadn't slept for more than a few seconds before he was shaken awake  _again_. He opened one eye and saw Igglybuff inches away from his face, looking angry. "Puff! Iggle buff!" the Pokemon said with a miffed tone.

Will waved the Pokemon away. "Can't anyone in this place get some shut eye! It's 4 A.M. Igglybuff!"

Igglybuff looked at him with a frown and pointed at the clock on his bedside table. "Buff!"

Will turned to it and read,  _6:37 A.M._. Will sprang up with so much force that Igglybuff was tossed off the bed in one quick motion. _‘Crap, it’s late. I’m so late, the Pokemon are all awake now.’_

He did his morning routine in a rush; feeding the Pokemon, tending to them, and making sure they were all accounted for – all of it done in record time. Meanwhile, Igglybuff sat on the porch, looking indignantly at it all.

Will finished up and sat next to the balloon Pokemon. The puff closed its eyes and looked away, which made Will frown. "C'mon Igglybuff, cut me some slack. It was a rough morning." When the Pokemon didn't respond, Will added, "I'll make breakfast, my treat."

The morning passed without incident. Igglybuff's mood had lifted significantly after Will had made it pancakes and strawberries, which was one of Igglybuff's personal favorites. After breakfast, Will went over to the front desk and sat down behind it. He pulled out a bright red bandana with a white PokéBall print from one of the drawers and wrapped it around his wrist.

It was Will's mark of being a Pokemon Breeder but he only wore it when he needed others to identify his position. And because he was manning the Daycare today, he definitely needed to show his title.

After a few hours, Will was bored out of his mind. His brain cried for some sort of distraction, but being left to run the business meant he couldn't leave, and he didn't really have anything to do at the moment. Apart from the Daycare and being a Pokemon Breeder, Will didn't do much. He spent a lot of time studying medicinal berry uses and looking for wild Pokemon that might need help, but he couldn't do any of that today. 

_‘This is, without a doubt, the slowest day ever,’_ Will thought as he looked at the time. He practically slid off his chair in defeat.

Paper work was strewn across the desk. He idly flipped through it, looking through the records of past Pokemon. After he was done with that, he looked at the shelf with the Daycare’s personal collection of TMs for guests to borrow. Nothing special in the slightest.

Just as Will was contemplating closing early so he could escape to someplace not boring, he heard the door open. Will had started to thank whatever god had sent him a new customer to divert his boredom when he looked up and froze.

Standing by the door was the guy from yesterday, Mr. Doom and Gloom himself. He and his Cubone looked around the room, looking out of place. Will continued to look at him, the swirl of emotions from seeing him and embarrassment from yesterday's incident with Cecil rushing straight to his brain at maximum velocity.

Apparently, Will had stared for a moment too long, because the guy looked at him and coughed.

Will was shaken out of his thoughts and felt his face heat up. "Uhh ... hi. I mean, hello. Can I help? You?" Will cursed at himself. 

_‘Gods damn it. Get it together, Will.’_

The guy didn't seem to notice Will’s awkwardness. He stepped forward, saying "Yeah. The Nurse Joy from Helorus recommended I stop here before going down Route 3. I was going to go ahead anyway but," Death Boy paused, "the Pokemon are tough. Cubone and I got our ass kicked and we kind of need some help. Nurse Joy said this place offered some help with training and stuff." The guy said with his head down as if it was a blow to his pride to have to admit he needed help. The scowl didn't go away, though.

Will, having finally regained his composure and professionalism, flashed Death Boy a smile, saying, "I hear you. No worries, I can help. Training isn't something we normally do without some kind of heads up," Will said, then hesitated before saying, "but for you, it’s okay.”

The guy raised an eyeb w, and shook his head. "No offense or anything, but there's no way you run this place on your own. Isn't there someone more experienced or something?"

Will laughed nervously and said, "I'm a Pokemon Breeder, so I could help you. My mom runs the Daycare, but she's out running an errand today, and won't be back until tomorrow. I'm the one who runs the training program anyway." Will stood up and pushed in his chair. Death Boy stared at him in a mix between awkward disbelief and his usual scowl.

There was a few seconds of pause that delivered a hefty blow to Will’s own ego before the trainer said, “Fine. What next?”

Will grinned. "Give me a few minutes. I'm going to take care of a few things before we head out. I didn't get your name, by the way." Will stretched out his hand offering a handshake.

Doom and Gloom hesitated before saying, "Nico. I'll wait outside." Nico shook his hand awkwardly.

Will replied breathlessly, "Will. Will Solace."

Nico let his hand go and went outside, with his Cubone tagging along, leaving Will with his hand outstretched. It was a good thing Nico left quickly, because at the moment of contact, his brain started to shut down. He had barely been able to say his own name before a heavy blush tinted his cheeks.

His daze wore off after a minute, and he shook his head. ‘ _You're hopeless. How did you even manage to crush on a complete_  stranger _?’_ Will sighed. ‘ _I am going to die, and it will all be Death Boy's fault.’_

He grabbed his bag and started to close up shop. He took the moment to go fetch his PokeBall Belt, using the time to steel himself. Usually we was cool and collected, cracking the occasional joke, and was lighthearted and outgoing. All he needed to do was continue doing that and keep it together.

This whole crush thing was silly anyway. There's no reason he should be feeling this - it was completely unnecessary. Will looked towards the door, his heart pounding. ‘ _You're a wreck, Solace,_ ’ he thought to himself.

He readjusted his uniform, slung his bag over his back, and called out to Igglybuff. "We're helping a client train!" Igglybuff floated out of the bedroom, carrying a cup for whatever reason. It wasn’t even full of anything.

The Pokemon landed on Will's head, which had been established as its favorite spot for travel since the day before. Together, they headed out the door, which Will locked with a key, and put up a "CLOSED" sign. His mom would probably scold him until the end of time for not only closing early, but also not doing the proper procedure for the training program. Not that Will was thinking of that at the moment. Looking around, Will saw Nico sitting by the path, looking at the Route ahead. His Cubone did the same; that Pokemon seemed to sync up with Nico's movements, doing what Nico did.

Will took a deep breath and found himself at peace, if only for a little while. He was sure that any more interactions with Nico would turn him to putty for no reason other than the fact that he liked his face.

He made his way towards Nico, ready to do what he did best: handling and caring for Pokemon. Being focused on his job immersed him so much he wouldn't have any time to flounder around. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments always appreciated! They nourish my soul.


	4. Training in Whittling Woods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~Soo my family kidnapped me on a surprise road trip. It was great, but I didn't have the ability to access internet to post this chapter as a result. I made this chapter super extra long to compensate this week and last week's read. Also I'm too tired to edit so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯~~
> 
> ~~Back to the story!~~
> 
> **Updated!**

The day wasn’t going that bad. He had planned on challenging the Gym right away, but Nurse Joy suggested he train up a bit first before doing so. Whittling Forest on Route 3 was the perfect place for that, but she strongly recommended the Daycare for some sped up training. At first, Nico dismissed the idea – he knew how to battle already, and Cubone was strong enough. But when a stray Beautifly almost knocked Cubone out, Nico had returned to the Daycare in defeat. A gods-be-damned _Beautifly._

And the Daycare wasn’t half bad. He had expected a couple of old folks who would be difficult to talk to, but he was pleasantly surprised to find a good-looking guy around his age, with tousled blonde hair and soft blue eyes. The good-willed charm in his eyes definitely caught Nico’s attention.

The door behind him closed quietly, followed by the sound of footsteps. Nico turned around and was caught by surprise as the Pokemon Breeder walked towards him with an … Igglybuff. A tiny, helpless, pink ball of fluff. Nico stared at the pair with a raised eyebrow in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding."

Will only grinned, stopping next to Nico and looking down at him. "Hey, don't judge, di Angelo. This puffball is actually pretty strong."

"Wait, don't tell me you're actually going to  _battle_  with that thing."

"Well, unless you want me to battle with nothing, then yeah. Like I said, Igglybuff is tougher than most." The Pokemon on Will's head made a fist-pumping gesture with its stub of an arm and claimed proudly, "Buff!".

Nico rolled his eyes. "Sure. Let's get going." He took it back. This was probably a bad decision if the head of training at this Daycare was using an Igglybuff to battle. No amount of good-looks could make up for a concerning lack of strength in battle. How was this guy supposed to facilitate training, anyway?

Igglybuff floated off of Will's head and landed by Cubone, who looked indignant about this new Pokemon. Igglybuff greeted Cubone with a cheer, to which Cubone responded back quietly. Nico couldn't blame Cubone. He and Cubone were alike in so many ways, one of which was preferring to keep to themselves. So having this smiling  _thing_  jumping around, being the most saturated upbeat Pokemon Nico had ever seen, was not something he was used to. It kind of creeped him out, if Nico was honest.

Will paid no attention, instead busying himself with a kind of tablet-like Battle Monitor he had pulled out from his bag. Feeling that the constant "Buff, buff, buff" noises that the Igglybuff kept making as it waddled along was making the silence awkward, Nico decided to make some conversation, though he was reluctant to do so. "So, uh ... why does that Battle Monitor look so different?"

Will glanced up from the screen and said, "It's a special type of Battle Monitor that's made for Breeders. It does all the things a normal Monitor does, but it also does way more. Here I can see what areas Pokemon are growing more in, how naturally strong they are, and a more in-depth look at a Pokémon’s health and even happiness." Will scrolled through the various windows of information as he explained, using Igglybuff's profile as the example.

Will went on with a smile, "This is super useful for training. It can help guide you to bring out the best in a Pokemon. When we start, we'll take a look at Cubone and see what we need to work on to help Cubone grow." Will went on in a more in-depth explanation of how each Pokémon’s individual experiences in battling will make then distinctly different, so even if two Pokemon have the same level of training, their growth could be entirely different.

As Will went on, Nico noticed that Will became livelier and excited, which Nico attributed to Will's sincere interest in Pokemon and their growth. Nico respected that, and in a way, this guy’s passion for raising Pokemon rivaled Nico’s own passion for battling, two things entirely dependent on each other.

When they arrived at a gnarled looking tree, the group stopped and put their gear down. "All right," Will said. "This place will do. Let's get started!" Will fiddled around with his Monitor before setting it down next to his pack. "First thing's first. Find a wild Pokemon to battle. I want to see what Cubone's got, and then we'll see what we do next."

Nico nodded, and walked a patch of tall grass, signaling for Cubone to come with him. Will sat down under the shade of the tree, looking with keen interest. Igglybuff had joined him, deciding to hop in place by Will's bag. After a bit of walking through the grass, Nico heard a rustling, followed by a quick movement towards his right.

A moment of silence passed by before a figure pounced from its cover, screeching. A Starly appeared soaring from the grass into the air.

"Okay Cubone, cover for us." Cubone threw its bone at the Starly as the pair ran back out of the patch of grass and into the open space. The Starly evaded the bone with ease and flew after them.

Nico's Battle Monitor flashed to life and automatically created two displays: one for Cubone and another for the wild Starly. Nico spun around in time to see the Starly go into a dive directed at Cubone, its beak glowing white.

"Cubone, block it with your bone!" Cubone held its bone in a defensive stance and waited for the Starly to make contact. The Starly struck Cubone's bone, but Cubone was able to parry the bird Pokemon and knock it back. Nico's Battle Monitor jingled as Cubone lost a few health points.

"Cubone, Headbutt." As the Starly struggled to regain its balance, Cubone charged at it headfirst, making contact. The Starly was flung backward but was able to stop itself and hovered in place, flapping its wings. It followed up with an aerial somersault and a flap of its wings, releasing a small tornado of wind that sped back towards Cubone at a super speed. Before Cubone could react, the Gust attack hit it and made Cubone fly backward. Cubone lost a bit more HP this time, with 3/4 of energy left. But, the attack had sent Cubone too far away for Cubone to retaliate in time to prevent from being attacked even more.

Nico played with the ring on his fingers, before quickly thinking of a plan to get in close to the wild Pokemon. "Okay Cubone, let's try something here. Use Bonemerang to distract it, but don't wait for it to come back! Charge at it with Headbutt and catch the Starly off guard!"

Cubone nodded and its bone glowed a brilliant blue. It flung the bone at Starly and immediately started charging at full speed. The Starly's attention was with the bone; it dodged the bone with ease but was quickly intercepted by a head on attack by Cubone's skull. The wild Pokemon smashed into a tree, fainting. The Starly shook out of its daze and flew back into the woods.

The Battle Monitor made a melody as Cubone's experience bar filled up, and the device noted Cubone's strength increasing. Nico felt good. The battle went really well, and he felt pretty proud of himself for thinking on the spot. Cubone, having fetched its bone, looked satisfied as well, and the pair made their way back to the shade of the tree, where Will was sitting, looking impressed but collected. "How was that, Solace?"

Will looked thoroughly impressed, making Nico swell with pride. He usually battled alone, and doing so with someone else, especially someone who was supposed to help him train, made him want to impress.

“That was awesome. Your Cubone seems to be really strong. I took some notes on Cubone’s individual growths,” Will said as he signaled to his Monitor. “Here you go, little guy.”

He tossed a Berry at Cubone, who caught it with its hand. Cubone ate the Berry quickly, and Nico's Monitor displayed Cubone's HP replenishing back to the max.

Will continued, "Give me a minute. I need to do a few things before I give you the breakdown."

Will started to work on his Monitor before looking up and patting the ground next to him, signaling for Nico to sit down. Nico glanced to Will's other side and saw that the creepy puffball was humming a tune with an empty look of happiness. Nico gladly sat away from that thing, but a little further away from where Will had signaled, putting a bit of distance between them. Cubone sat closely to Nico, placing its bone down.

 

 

Will felt very impressed - Nico was actually a very good battler. He was quick on his feet and knew Cubone's battling limits. He didn't push Cubone too far but knew what Cubone could do. As Will finished looking over the data on his Monitor, he felt the slightest bit puzzled.

"You're really good at battling, and your experience shows it, but why is it that Cubone isn't way stronger? You look like you've been a Trainer for years, but Cubone's strength is a bit, uh, low." The words stung even Will as he said them, quickly regretting the phrasing.

Nico tapped his foot, saying, "Cubone and I have been battling for years, but there's only so much you can do when you battle against weak Pidgeys and Wurmples." Nico looked down at Cubone. "We've practiced a lot of different tactics and tested out new things, but at one point we stopped making any progress. But it's the best we could do."

He scrolled through the data on his Monitor for anything to use as a new point. "Well, uh - there's a lot of good things. Like, Cubone's Speed is incredibly high for its kind. Battling all those quick birds really helped Cubone build fast reflexes and movement speed." Will ran through all the noticeable things from what he could see. Cubone was pretty fast; its strength was decent, but there was definitely room for improvement; Cubone should definitely avoid battling Pokemon that relied on Special Attacks; the Pokemon could afford to be reckless in some of its attacks since one of its abilities was Rock Head.

“We could work on that last bit,” Will said. “Cubone’s got a lot of strength and energy for it.”

Nico shifted in his spot. “How so?”

“Well, Cubone would need to change his battling style. From what I can see, you two play it safe. No offense, but you’ve grown so comfortable fighting Wurmples that you approach things a little too safely.” Nico’s expression twitched with annoyance, but Will persisted. That was his job, after all. “You’re stunting Cubone’s growth by playing too safe. With good defenses, Cubone could be doing more damage with less work.”

The irritation in Nico’s expression changed to one of understanding.

_‘Phew,_ ’ Will thought. ‘ _Crisis averted.’_

Nico glanced at Cubone, who looked back. The two seemed to be having a silent conversation. After a few minutes of silence, which made Will feel just slightly like an intruder, Nico looked back at Will. "Okay. Let's work on that."

 

 

They spent the rest of the afternoon battling more. Will and Igglybuff were standing by, with Will providing tips and pointers for Cubone, and Igglybuff singing in a nonchalant cheer.

The task was simple enough: refine Cubone’s battling style to focus on his strengths. Will made it clear that while Cubone had great speed, it shouldn’t be the main focus of their battle routine. Instead, it should work to complement Cubone’s attacks and ease of dodging.

But it was harder than Nico thought; it was difficult to see Cubone take hits from its own attacks. Will had assured him that with enough practice, Cubone could master activating its ability, Rock Head, and avoid damage altogether. Still, it was hard for him to work through it.

After countless battles, Nico looked at Cubone one final time. The Pokemon looked exhausted, recoil from its own moves taking a toll on its health points and overall stamina.

“Let's take a break, Cubone. I think that's enough for now."

Cubone, slightly out of breath, made his way back to Nico. Nico picked Cubone up and dug a water bottle out of his pack, giving it to the Pokemon.

As Cubone drank up, Will and Igglybuff walked to Nico from their spot. Will handed Nico an herb from his pack. It was a root, the ones Nico remembered were ones that Pokemon hated.

"I'm not going to give this to Cubone,” he said.

Will shook his head. "Don't worry. It's not like those normal Energy Roots that taste gross. This one doesn't taste bad, and it still does the same thing. It'll pick up Cubone's spirits right away."

Nico gave him a look. _‘Yeah, right. Good try.’_

Will shrugged in return. "Suit yourself. I'm really not joking, or anything." Will snapped a piece off of one of the roots he was holding and gave it to Igglybuff, who chewed happily and danced in place.

Nico thought about it for a minute. On one hand, the pink Pokemon didn't look like it hated the taste, and it would help Cubone recover. On the other hand, the pink Pokemon was an abomination of the world and its taste buds were as freaky as its whole existence.

Nico glanced back at Will, who raised his eyebrows in an "I dare you  _not_  to" sort of way. Nico rolled his eyes and snapped a tiny piece, giving it to Cubone.

The Pokemon had no experience with the roots, so it had no reason to distrust it. It quickly ate the piece but gave no indication that the root tasted bad. Nico gave the rest to Cubone, determined not to look at Will or else give him the satisfaction of being right.

Nico wasn't quick to warm up to people, but he didn't feel like he needed to be defensive. around Will like he did with other strangers. He seemed to know what he was doing, wasn’t afraid to speak his mind, and truly cared about Cubone’s progress. The awkward fumbling when they had first met was nowhere to be found.

Despite himself, Nico felt like he could trust this Solace guy. It was nice to find someone he could easily work with so early into his journey.

 

 

"We should probably head back now." Will looked at the setting sun. If he had to guess, it was probably 6:00 P.M. or so. He didn't really want to be outside at night. It wasn't dangerous, but it still kind of freaked him out. Nico and Cubone had just finished battling a wild Pokemon, practicing some other moves and refining their new approach to battles. Nico looked up at the sky.

"It's not even dark yet, Solace. Just another half hour." Nico walked into the tall grass once again as he finished his sentence. Will sighed and fidgeted with the strap on his pack, eyeing the tall grass and the shadows of the trees.

"We've been at this all day. I'm sure Cubone is tired - and Igglybuff is getting restless," Will replied. Nico looked back at Will with a look.

"Cubone's fine. We just took a break thirty minutes ago. And your pink ball," Nico pointed at Igglybuff, "is happily singing away like it has been all day." Will looked in Igglybuff's general direction. It was bouncing around in its happy way and smiled at Will when they met eyes. 

_‘Traitor,’_ Will thought.

"Don't tell me you're scared of the dark, Solace," Nico said absently.

Will replied too quickly. "Am not - why would you think - it's just getting late is all." 

‘ _Gods damn it,’_ Will grumbled. His lying skills were terrible. First Cecil, now this. Will sighed.

"You totally are, Solace," Nico called him out, a hint of playful mocking, but otherwise entirely neutral. He didn’t push the matter. Thank gods.

Will had met his weekly embarrassing moments quota this week. Maybe even for next week too. Nico turned back around and continued walking further into the grass with Cubone. "Just give me a few more battles. Then we can head back. You can wait in that clearing over there."

 Nico signaled to Will's right, a little way back. It was a field of short grass with a boulder. Yeah, that spot was great. If a boogie man came out of nowhere, Will could stand on the rock; no way any kind of freakish nightmare could reach him from there!

Will walked back with Igglybuff while Nico found another wild Pokemon to battle. The opponents consisted of another Starly, a Yanma, a Whismur, and a Kakuna. They were all native to the route.

Will had been watching Nico the whole time, letting his "business" front. Nico was really something else. His calm, serious demeanor really added to his "dark, brooding" look, and the way he handled himself in battle added a sense of strength and determination into the mix. And that really made Will feel a burning feeling in his gut, adding to his already hopeless heart.

Will looked down at the ground and his shoes, finding particular interest in all the tiny details on his shoes. Who knew his sneakers' soles had ridge-like patterns on them?

_‘This crush thing is out of control,’_  Will thought. He had hoped that by working with Nico, the feeling would go away. But no, that would be too easy. Instead, his heart decided that it was going to increase the feeling tenfold, and Nico's stupid, cute, oh-so-good-looking face was not helping.

When Will had shaken himself out of his thoughts, he realized that something was terribly wrong. The evening's orange-red sky was starting to fade into the night's darkness. And Nico was still out in the tall grass, but at least he was coming back. Will called out to Nico. "You said just a few more battles! It's completely dark out now!"

"Yeah, but when I looked back to see if we should go, you were too busy studying the rock formations at your feet." Nico shrugged. "We'll be fine. Let's head back now." Will got up and picked Igglybuff up, holding it in his arms. Nico and Cubone followed him towards the edge of the forest.

The walk back was mainly silent, except for the movement of wild Pokemon as they scurried around in the brush. Will was fidgety, looking in the direction of every sound around him. Nico didn't seem to care. He walked silently, not paying the noises any mind. How he did it, Will didn't know.

They were close to the Daycare, probably a few minutes away by now. Will was still on edge because the darkness had settled even more.

Will heard a sharp rustling from a tree up ahead, and Will stopped dead in his tracks. As quick as the rustling had come, it had gone. The silence that followed was eerie.

Nico stopped next to Will, carrying Cubone on his backpack. "Solace, it’s  _just_  a wild Pokemon. There's no supernatural monster that wants to murder you."

"Says you." Will retorted, rather weakly. Nico sighed.

"Come  _on_ , Solace." Nico started to walk past him, and Will quickly followed behind Nico closely. 

_‘We're going to die,’_ he thought.

Under normal, safe circumstances, Will would probably shake his head at how silly he was acting, but now wasn't the time for that. Will couldn’t stop looking at the tree as they passed it. Nothing happened, and he sighed in relief after it was behind them.

Suddenly, the tree rustled again and a dark shadow erupted from the tree. The thing dove straight towards Will. Will nearly jumped out of his skin, a sharp and distinctly cold shiver of fright and adrenaline jabbing through his spine, followed by a thud and what sounded like Nico cursing under his breath.

A second later, he found himself clinging to Nico against the floor as tight as he could. Their faces were inches apart, and he could feel how warm Nico was. Cubone and Igglybuff had been flung from their respective places on their Trainers.

"Solace!  _It's. Just. A. Pokemon!_ " Will heard Nico yell in an annoyed tone.

Will looked back to find a Murkrow standing by his feet, looking at the mess in front of it with curiosity. Will could feel his face burn a bright red as he got up and helped Nico back onto his feet. Igglybuff and Cubone both looked agitated about being tossed around.

"S-sorry. That was, uh ... sorry," Will scratched his head, embarrassed as he offered a weak apology. Nico brushed himself off and studied the bird Pokemon that had just tried to murder Will.

"I'm going to catch it," Nico called to Cubone, who had recovered from its fall, and the pair started the battle against the Murkrow.

As Nico's Battle Monitor buzzed to life, Will collected himself and stood there awkwardly, cheeks still flushed.

He was never going to live this down. This was definitely the worst thing to ever happen to him. Adding this to the list, he now had enough embarrassing moments to last him for six months, at the very least. 

‘ _Gods, what the hell Solace. What kind of reaction was that? If there are any beings on a higher plane of existence,_ ’ Will thought, ‘ _Please, let the earth swallow me into the ground. Smite me, even.’_

Off to the side, Igglybuff looked angry, making it the second time today.  _Sigh._

Nico and Cubone's battle ended rather quickly. After hitting the Pokemon once with Headbutt, Nico threw a PokéBall at the Murkrow. After one shake, the PokéBall sealed with a red glow. The Murkrow hadn't put up much of a fight, which was odd. As Nico came back, Will made an attempt to apologize again, but Nico interrupted. "Solace, it's fine. It's not a big deal." Will perked up a little at that. He still felt guilty, though.

The walk back was mainly silent until they could see the light of the Daycare's porch lamp. Will attempted to make small talk. "So, now you have a bird of death."

"You have that cotton ball of nightmares, so I'd call it even," Nico said, signaling to Igglybuff. The Pokemon hopped along, lacking the happiness it had during the day.

"Iggs isn't in the best mood right now. He's still kind of irritated about, uh, you know."

They reached the door of the Daycare, and Will opened the door. "Well, we got a lot of training done today. Are you going to challenge the Gym tomorrow?"

Nico readjusted his bags. "No, I think I'll come back tomorrow. You’re good company. Can you do that?”

“Yeah, sounds great,” Will said, feeling a deep sense of giddy happiness rising up inside himself. Another day with Nico, who seemed to be warming up to him? “Uh, see you tomorrow, then.”

Nico nodded his head. "See you, Solace." Nico and Cubone left towards the direction of the town. Will stood at the door until he couldn't see Nico anymore in all the darkness of the night.

Will locked the door behind him as he went inside and to his room down the hall. Igglybuff was perched on the bookshelf, presumably asleep. It was probably just faking it because it was still mad, though. Will dropped all his stuff onto his desk tiredly and grabbed his sleeping shorts from his drawer. He had no idea where his shirt was, and he was too worn out from the day to care. Will decided to take a shower to give himself some time to repose before heading to bed.

His thoughts were on the day's events as he washed, dried off, and changed. He tossed his clothes into the bin and lay down on his bed. Will lay with his eyes closed before the reality that his mom was not going to be happy to hear he was helping a customer train the next day without the one-week notice finally set in.

But thinking back on Nico’s words, he found himself not caring.

_‘You’re good company’_ was probably the closest thing to a compliment he would be getting from Nico. And better yet, another day with him? He couldn’t think of anything better for his silly heart.

He couldn’t get too comfortable, though. Nico would leave soon, surely, and everything would be back to business. If Will was lucky, though, he could get a number or something.

The idea was silly, of course. But he needed something to keep his emotions busy. It was the best he could do. He was so hopelessly, deeply, unnecessarily attached to the thought of Nico.

Cecil would have a hay day over all of this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, William, how I love you so. Anyway, I'm going to try posting Chapter 5 next Sunday, but I need to make up for my week out to catch up to schedule again. So _there **might** not be a new chapter up next week_ , BUT I will try!
> 
> Be sure to leave a comment if you'd like! I really enjoy reading them. 0u0 
> 
>  
> 
> ~~Also did you know I had no idea "kudos" meant praise/compliment I always thought it was the chocolate granola bar and have been super confused with the Kudos button until like last night lol~~


	5. Tough Puff

The days seemed to blur by in a big melting pot of experiences. It had been a day and a half since Will and Nico's first day of training. Although, as far as Will could tell, it had stopped being "training" since yesterday at around noon. Today, Will was just sitting with Igglybuff under the shade of a tree as Nico and Cubone continued on their battling. "Training" didn't involve relaxing as Will kept the client company. "Training" didn't include a few hours of simple conversation with the client. "Training" didn't even last three days. Two at most, but usually it was a one day thing. Will didn't mind though. He was falling into routine, just a bit. As the hours passed by and Nico and Cubone neared the level they wanted to be at, Will was lost in thought.

_The morning of the second day could have been rough. Will was entirely convinced that his mother would be overwhelming and angry that he shirked his responsibilities, locked up early, and ignored the Daycare policies for the training program they ran. And Will was right - she was about to start up a storm when Will had told her. Luckily, Will was spared by Nico walking in right before Will's mom could say her first word._

My hero _, Will had thought jokingly and sarcastically._

_The second day had gone very well, if Will said so himself. Well, partially, at least. Will was determined to help Cubone use it's ability as effectively as it could in battle, so they focused on that for a large portion of the day. They started off with tree headbutting and soon after in actual battle, which turned out to be distinctly different. It wasn't until a particular battle that Cubone made progress._

_The battle was against a wild Poochyena, which was oddly aggresive, even for a wild Pokemon. It was wily and growled a lot. Will recalled that the Pokemon had a crazed look in its eye; no curiosity nor emotion, just savageness. It was unsettling. Even more unsettling was the way it behaved. It attacked sporatically and without care. At one point, the Pokemon had made a lunge towards Igglybuff in a split second, followed immediately by a blue flash. When Will's brain caught up, Cubone was standing in front of Igglybuff, having knocked the Poochyena off its feet. Its skull was glowing a soft blue. Will would later recognize that light as an indication of Cubone's ability activating. In the moment however, Will was more frightened by the wild Pokemon and the way it was acting. The canine had been knocked out, but it had recovered quickly. Before bolting into the forest, Will was able to catch a glimpse of the Pokemon's face. It's eyes weren't the same, as if it had been shaken out of its fervor. Then it bolted._

The rest of that day had been uneventful; Nico spent the rest of the day bonding with his newly caught Murkrow by getting to know it and practicing a bit of battling. Will could not stop thinking about that wild Poochyena, though.

Off in the distance, Nico looked almost ready to finish the battling he wanted to accomplish for the day. _It's almost as if the animal had gone rabid. But that's not likely. There weren't any other tell-all signs of disease at all. It didn't look scared, it wasn't cornered ..._ Will thought on and on about the Pokemon. It just wasn't natural. The pupils looked tiny and devoid of any reaction. But it seemed to be knocked back to its senses after being knocked out. It was just ... weird.

The animal worried Will, but he also recognized that the problem wasn't a big deal if the Poochyena had returned to normal. That put his thoughts a little at ease.

 

* * *

 

The day was going along, and it was afternoon now. The morning had been filled with battles, but the more Nico thought about it, the more he realized that the "training" (honestly, could he call it training anymore?) had run its course. Each battle gave Cubone less and less battle experience the more levels it gained. Besides, Cubone was at a respectable level now. Nico knew that he ought to challenge the Gym soon, maybe even tomorrow, but he was reluctant to. Simply put, he really enjoyed the last two days with Will, for whatever reason. But he really had to continue on his journey. _I've wasted a lot of time here._

After finishing up a few more battles, Nico and Cubone met up with Will and Igglybuff back at the spot where they'd taken breaks at for the last two days. Will had a variety of leaves, berries, and a pestle. Nico sat across from him. They sat in comfortable silence, until Will looked up. "So, what now?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're done training, right? There's not much else to do." Will put down what he was working on. "I mean, I'm having _tons_ of fun, but..."

"Actually, I was thinking about challenging the Gym tomorrow. Cubone's stronger, and we've got to get going soon. Besides, the bill's getting bigger every day." Nico paused. "You told me the rate you guys charge. That's a terrible business practice you know." Nico added a hint of sarcasm to his sentence, just to tease.

Will looked like he had just realized something important. Which was probably about what Nico just said. "Oh, uh, crap. I forgot to mention the first day. Don't - don't worry about it. That's not fair to you. So ... don't worry about it."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous, Solace, I was joking. I'll pay what I need to. I'm not a charity case."

Will remained silent, which Nico took as an acknowledgement. Will looked off into the forest, but quickly jumped up with a renewed energy. "Well, since you've come a bit of a ways now, how about a last test to measure your strength? It'll be fun!"

Nico shrugged. "What more is there to do? Beat up more poor Starlys?"

"Let's have a battle, di Angelo. A single battle, one versus one!"

Nico couldn't stop himself from laughing. "Yeah, Solace, your marshmallow is _the_ ultimate test of strength. But-" Will interrupted Nico before he could finish his sentence with a wave of his hand.

"But you're _so_ scared. Poor little Nico 'Badass' di Angelo is absolutely terrified of my sheer power." Will said cockily. _Gods, you're so annoying, Solace._ Nico thought, but realized he wasn't actually annoyed. He was amused, if anything. Will's taunting grin made Nico chuckle under his breath. Yeah, definitely amused.

"You're on, Solace."

~

Nico and Will stood at opposite ends, with their respective Pokemon at their sides. Igglybuff's excitement showed through the way it hopped from toe - or stub, really - to toe. Cubone stood stoically next to Nico, prepared for the battle. Nico didn't really know what to expect from this battle. How much could an Igglybuff do, anyway? Nico didn't want to hurt the thing, but didn't know how strong it was.

Will called to Nico. "You get the first move, di Angelo!" He was oddly excited. Nico noted how much his excitement matched Igglybuffs. Will wasn't bouncing toe to toe, but his posture was very focused and energetic.

Nico looked to Cubone. "All right, Cubone. Let's kick it off with a Headbutt. Keep an eye on Igglybuff, though." Cubone nodded, gave a quick "Cubone" in response, and ran into the battlefield. Cubone's run turned into a charge that built up in speed. Igglybuff stood it's ground, very calm. Cubone attacked Igglybuff at full speed, and Igglybuff was sent flying. But the Pokemon barreled through the air happily before floating down back onto the ground a few feet away. Apparently it had bounced off Cubone rather than be knocked away, unless Igglybuff's defense was through the roof. Will called out to Igglybuff, "Okay 'Buff, go in for a Pound!" Igglybuff bounced into the air, and hopped towards Cubone slowly.

"Cubone, don't let it get close to you. Use Bonemerang!" Cubone chucked its bone at high speed towards the other Pokemon. Igglybuff was unfazed, sidestepping the bone as it whirled by during one of its hops, and sidestepped again when the bone came back around. Nico stared in surprise at Igglybuff's agility. "Cubone, use a long-distance Bone Club!" The bone glowed a light blue and a replica appeared in Cubone's other hand. Cubone threw both one after another, and more replicas appeared in its hands for another barrage, sending out a total of four projectiles. The bones flew at Igglybuff with amazing speed. There was no way that the Pokemon would be able to dodge them. Nico wished he was right. Igglybuff hopped high into the air and somersaulted past the first bone, and then landed. The Pokemon tucked in its stubs and rolled sideways, avoiding two more bones, which crashed into a dirt pile. Jumping over the last bone quickly, Igglybuff bounced forward, closing the gap between Cubone and itself. Its stubby arm glowed white before Igglybuff prodded Cubone with a ridiculous amount of force. Cubone was knocked back and off its feet. _That puffball really is a nightmare._ Nico thought. He wasn't counting on Igglybuff being fast or even acrobatic.

Cubone regained its footing, waiting for Nico's next command. Nico glanced down to his Monitor. He probably should have done that before starting the battle. Nico scolded himself. _What a stupid mistake! Okay, let's think quickly._ "Cubone, can you play defensively? Buy me some time while I try and think of a plan." Cubone nodded, and rushed towards its bone, taking a defensive stance. Will told Igglybuff to use Pound again, so Cubone would need to play the dodging game. Nico looked down at his Battle Monitor. _Okay, think. Cubone hasn't taken too much damage, but if this keeps up he's going to get tired._ Igglybuff didn't look like it had a large health pool. _One good attack could take it out. Since we can't hit it from afar, we need to bait it close._ Nico looked at how Cubone was faring. Igglybuff was chasing after Cubone with a fair amount of speed, but it slowed down at the highest point of its jump. _That's it. It can't dodge if it's at the apex of its jump. Alright, let's do this._

"Cubone! Turn around and use Bonemerang!" Cubone used its move, which Igglybuff dodged with a high jump. "Intercept it, quick!" Cubone understood and tackled Igglybuff, knocking it over. Nico glanced down at his Monitor. Igglybuff's health had gone down to 3/4 of the bar. It definitely didn't have very much health.

Nico heard Will call out to Igglybuff, telling it to use Return. Cubone caught its bone, taking a defensive stance. "Cubone, get ready to counter that." Igglybuff, having recovered from its tumble, began rolling towards Cubone sideways. The attack started slow but picked up speed. As it rolled faster, Igglybuff's whole body started to glow. Nico recalled Return being a move which grew more powerful the stronger the bond between trainer and Pokemon was. Igglybuff was shining a brilliant shade of pink now; it was almost blinding. "Cubone, bat Igglybuff with your club!" Cubone swung its bone at full force, creating a collision that knocked both Pokemon away. Nico's Monitor beeped, showing that Cubone had less than 5% of its health left. Igglybuff's health had drained completely.

Both Will and Nico ran towards their Pokemon to tend to them. Cubone was weak but looked proud of itself, and wasn't seriously hurt. Igglybuff had been knocked out, but after Will gave it a Berry, it seemed better. Igglybuff wandered over to Cubone, in a tired happiness. Nico watched as Igglybuff started a soothing song, which had a surprisingly melodic power to it. Nico turned to Will. "What's Igglybuff doing?"

"Iggs is singing a healing song."

Nico looked back at Igglybuff, which had closed its eyes and swayed as it continued its song. Even if the song consisted of "buffs", "iggles", and "puffs", it was, admittedly, a harmonic tune. He could even feel himself get better. More relaxed. When Igglybuff finished, Cubone looked much better, and Igglybuff itself was back to its energetic bounces. Will started to explain. "Igglybuff has a special move called Heal Pulse. It's a rare move for Igglybuffs to know." Will paused, and then mumbled, "My dad's special gift to me." Will said the last part in a quiet voice, so Nico didn't catch it very well.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. That was a great battle, di Angelo. You're going to do great tomorrow." Will said with a warm smile.

Nico shrugged it off. "Your Igglybuff is definitely a demon. No floaty Pokemon moves that quickly."

Will laughed, obviously amused. "Yeah, well, me and Buff are more than we look."

~

As the group headed back to the Daycare to take their separate ways, Nico reveled in just how powerful Igglybuff's Return had been. The pair obviously had a very strong bond..

Nico was confident now that the Gym battle was a piece of cake. As they walked, Cubone caught up to Igglybuff, who had been bouncing ahead of the group. Both Nico and Cubone had a newfound respect for the puff ball.  _Still a bit creepy, though,_ Nico thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the idea of Igglybuff being a power house. 
> 
> We're almost moving on to the next town guys! We're picking up the pace!


	6. Gym Battle: Hestia

"C'mon, Nico. Wake up silly."

Nico woke up feeling the sleep heavy on his eyelids. The day was bright; the forest alive with the sounds of Pokemon chattering as they went about their business. The tree he was under gave him shade from the otherwise hot and stuffy sunlight. Nico was happy. School had just ended earlier that day, which meant that summer vacation was in full swing. He would have all that time to spend with his sister.

Bianca sat just a ways away, rummaging through her bag. Nico sat up from his resting position, to which Bianca glanced over and gave him a warm smile. "Ready to head back home?"

Nico nodded, grabbing his school bag. Even if he had to go back to that crummy orphanage, the coming of summer meant that he and Bianca could go out and have fun. No more homework or projects to keep them back. Nico stood up and waited for Bianca to gather her stuff too. She was always so careful to make sure she had everything.

The pair set off into the blazing heat to the path that took them home. The cool shade was way more comfortable. Nico would spend the whole day there if he could. As they walked, Bianca told him stories of heroic Pokemon that traveled across the world having the best adventures. Nico loved those stories. Bianca's ultimate goal was to travel the world and see new sights, which made her stories all the much better.

Nico quickened his pace, wanting to reach the orphanage sooner. As he walked, he noticed that the forest had stopped humming. There wasn't the slightest chirp or rustling of grass, even though it was loud and noisy earlier. It had just stopped.

Nico turned around to tell Bianca, but she was gone. Nico could have sworn she was right behind him, but there was nothing. He called out to her, but no sound came out of his mouth. Nico tried again and again, but to no avail.

Panic. That was the one sensation he felt as he stood alone, in the middle of the road. The silence was overbearing and loud, despite the lack of noise, and it heightened the sense of panic even more. Seconds felt like hours, and minutes felt like years. Grounded to this one spot, unable to move, yet wanting to run.

Bianca should be here, she should be coming around the bend, worrying about Nico, telling him not to wander off again. She should come running any second, yelling at him, worried about him; it didn't matter what, just that she should be coming. In what felt like hours, a single, bone-chilling scream of pain and terror broke the deafening silence. One thought came into Nico's mind. _Bianca_. The scream broke him out of whatever state he was in, and he ran.

Nico sprinted like he never had before, and he suddenly felt that something was chasing him. Something that he could not see nor hear. His only thought was to run fast and away. Nico should have gone back to find Bianca, but his fear led him away. As Nico sprinted down the road, the forest disappeared into nothing. The floor became nothing. Nico stumbled and fell, his vision blurred from adrenaline and terror.

As he fell, the world morphed into darkness.

 

* * *

 

Nico woke with a start, dripping in sweat and breathing heavily. Another nightmare. He took a minute to calm himself before getting up to open the window. The sun hadn't come up yet, which meant that it was very early in the morning. Nico ran his hand through his hair, sighing. He needed to clear his head. Nico quickly changed out of his sleepwear and into a new set of clothes. He grabbed his bag and looked over to Cubone. The Pokemon was fast asleep, and probably wouldn't be up for another few hours. Nico decided it was best to leave Cubone be right now. He left his sleeping bag on the bed to let the Pokemon know that he'd be back later. Nico did take Murkrow's Pokeball, though.

Nico exited the room, down the hall, and out of the Pokecenter. The building was brightly lit and alive, in stark contrast to the silent gloom of the early morning outside. Nico walked aimlessly through the streets, lit by the luminescence of the moon. He didn't allow himself to think until he reached a bench around the outskirts of town, which overlooked a field of wild grass and a few trees.

Nico sat down and rubbed his eyes tiredly. This wasn't the first time he had had the dream. It was a reoccurring one, which plagued him and weighed him down. It was a constant reminder of _that day_ , the day he lost everything dear to him, and a remorseful manifestation of the regret he held. Nico hated it. He hated that he could not honor Bianca's memory with the kindness and joyful experiences he had with her. Everything positive that his sister embodied was overshadowed by the feeling of pain, loss, and self-reproach.

The dream reminded him of all the guilt he knew was logically undeserved but irrationally warranted. It was an argument he had fought over and over again. He knew that there was nothing he could have done, except run. But at the same time, he should have gone back and protected his sister, even if the protection meant nothing but put himself in danger. Running away was the ultimate betrayal, and that action alone suppressed any logic tenfold.

Nico looked down at the grass. He hadn't had the dream in months, and there wasn't anything that could have brought this on. Nothing had reminded him. In fact, these past few days had been one of the best days in a very long time. It felt nice to hang around with Will, and getting out of the house was great. Nico had finally seen Pokemon other than Pidgeys and worms, and he was excited to see Cubone already pushing the limits of its strength.

Nico closed his eyes and cleared his mind. He sat there for a long time in the silence, until the he could hear the slightest hints of the morning Pokemon beginning to stir. Nico got up and took out his Pokeball, spinning it in his hand. He knew that a large part of him still resented the past, but he decided to press forward. Ignoring it was probably for the best.

Nico pressed the Pokeball's button and tossed it forward. In a glow of red light, Murkrow's form emerged and flew out before coming back. The Pokemon landed on the bench and looked at Nico with an inquisitive look. So far, Nico didn't really know Murkrow very well. Other than knowing that it was smart and had a very curious demeanor, the Pokemon wasn't something Nico was familiar. It was a very obvious thing, but Nico had been so used to his bond with Cubone, which had been built over years and years as partners. _Gotta start somewhere._ Nico figured he had a few hours before he should head back. He was still very much uneasy about the dream, and the feelings that came with it were still heavy, but battling took his mind away from it.

It always did.

 

* * *

 

The morning would have been peaceful had Will not been zipping through the Daycare, running back and forth. Will was rushing around completing the daily chores and to-do's. There wasn't any particular reason if it was a normal day, but today was important. It was important to Will, at least. Even though he and Nico hadn't made plans to go to the Pokemon Gym together, Will felt the obligation to be there. It had everything to do with it being part of the job, or at least, Will justified that to be the case.

Rushing around had its issues; Will might have accidentally knocked over a week's worth of Pokemon treats. It was possible he brushed the Vulpix's fur coat a little too briskly and yanked a few tufts off. And there was a possibility that Will might have tripped over the Geodude while it was sleeping. At least three times. Had anyone asked about that, Will would deny it, because _Everyone trips over Geodudes, but three times is ridiculous. That's way too embarrassing_. He couldn't help himself, though; Will was excited to see Nico win his first Gym Badge.

Will wanted to finish everything he could so that he could excuse himself for the rest of the day. When 8:30 A.M. struck the clock, he took off the green apron and went back inside. His mom was at the counter going over the check-in book, like she did every morning. Will shoved the apron into the cabinet near the door. "Hey mom, I finished up all the morning duties."

"That was quick. Headed anywhere today, Will?"

"Yeah, actually. I'm headed to the Gym!"

"Oh? What for?"

Will scooted over to a stool and sat down. "Nico's challenging it today. I want to see him win his first Badge."

Will's mom closed the book and sat down behind the desk. She reclined on her chair, saying in an amused voice, "Since when does your training program include supervision at the Gym?"

"It doesn't, but I, uh, just be there." _Boy, what a lame excuse_ , Will thought. He shoved his hands in his pockets, not liking the direction the conversation was going.

But Will's mom just nodded in her very mom-like way. "Have fun, Will."

"Thanks, mom." Will smiled at her. _That was weird. She didn't even put me under a government-sanctioned investigation or whatever. Well that's probably overkill but still._ "I'm just going to go make breakfast." Will got up and headed down the hall.

Before heading over to the kitchen, Will made a stop to his room and picked up a sleeping Igglybuff, carrying it under his arm. The puff was fast asleep and drooling slightly as Will went into the kitchen. He set the Pokemon down on the table and headed to the fridge, scoping out the ingredients for breakfast.

Will spent the next hour cooking a breakfast consisting of eggs and toast. The smell of food woke Igglybuff up, who was happy to see that it was already in the kitchen to eat. The pair ate breakfast, Will quicker than Igglybuff, and shortly after Will went to his room to change, leaving Igglybuff in the kitchen to finish up.

_What do you even wear to a Gym?_ Will sifted through his closet, scouring through every shirt and pants he owned. _Like... casual? Professional? Fancy?_ Will pulled out a navy blue button up shirt. _This'll do. As if I know a thing about clothing._ Will changed out of his clothes and into the new ones. He mumbled to himself, "Who even dresses up to a _Gym battle_." He couldn't argue with himself, though.

Will returned to the kitchen, where he found Igglybuff drawing on a napkin with a broken red crayon.

"C'mon, let's get going Iggs."

~

Will waited under the shade outside the Gym's entrance, leaning against the wall. Igglybuff rested on his head, rolling about lazily. Will had checked to see if the Gym had had any challengers today, but there was none. So Will waited, arms crossed, until Nico showed up, but after a while he began to doze off. More than a couple times Will had the feeling of seeing Nico approaching, but it was just his imagination. He eventually snapped out of his pseudo asleep-awake state. Will looked around the street heading to the plaza in time to see Nico walking toward the Gym with Cubone at his side. Nico was looking through his Monitor until his gaze fell on Will. He looked surprised, questioning, and confused. There might have been traces of lack of sleep. Will simply smiled at waved an over-the-top wave.

Nico made his way to Will. "What are you doing here, Solace?"

"Thought I'd catch your Gym battle. It'll be fun." Will shifted on his feet. "Your first Gym badge, right? It's a special occasion."

Nico had the slightest hint of a smile. He looked like he was really trying to hide it. "No one dresses up to a _Gym battle_ , Solace. But ... thanks."

Will laughed. "Hey, this shirt really brings out the color of my eyes." Will made a mocking pose, bringing attention to his face.

Nico rolled his eyes at Will. "Uh ... right. Let's just go inside already."

Together, they went inside the Gym.

~

Will was seated in one of the complimentary bleachers for spectators in one of the Gym's many battle arenas. The place was pretty modest; the room was large, with metal walls that made it look like an airplane hangar. The floor was composed of dirt, though, and the arena was marked with white lines signaling the playing field, with a large Pokeball design in the middle. The place had the consistent theme of softly flickering fires on brick posts around the room. The fire was warm and, as ridiculous as it sounded, the ambiance of the fires had a very home-like feeling to it. Like the feeling of sitting down close to a nice fireplace in the middle of a cold winter night, complete with a blanket.

Nico was standing on the challenger's side of the field, waiting for the Gym Leader to come out. After beating two Gym members as part of the Pokemon Gym challenge, they were brought to this room and asked to wait until the Leader could see them. It couldn't have been more than a few minutes, but Will really wanted for the battle to start. So far Nico had done great, using Murkrow to defeat the Ground-type Pokemon that was the theme of the Gym.

A door opened on the far end of the room, and a woman came walking towards the field. Will recognized the woman as Hestia, the Gym Leader. With her modest clothing and hair braided behind her back, she gave off the air of a kind and fair woman who cared for even those who were strangers. Sort of like someone who tended to a home that was always open for those that needed it. The woman walked to the side of the field opposite of Nico, and extended her arms in a relaxed gesture of welcome.

"Hello, Nico. I hope you are finding the Gym a nice experience for both you and your Pokemon."

Will looked over to Nico, who nodded his head before saying, "Yes, thank you, ma'am."

Hestia signaled for Nico to pause. "Please, call me Hestia." She looked over to Will and Igglybuff, smiling at them. "Hello, Will. How are you?"

Will nodded and waved, calling out, "I'm doing great. Just came to see Nico battle." Igglybuff jumped in its seat, calling out, "Puff!".

Hestia nodded and turned her attention back to Nico. "Here at our Gym, we practice hospitality and geniality. It is important to maintain the bonds between people and Pokemon in a positive way, because only through this bond can we grow. Through modesty and humbleness, we can grow to new heights." Hestia motioned to the floor. "The ground, in its self-effacing existence, does not boast of the power it has, yet can foster life and nourish entire cultures; it can destroy cities and build the highest mountains. It can provide a home for you always to come back to." Hestia took out a Pokeball from her front pocket. "Now please, Nico, show me the strength of your bond between you and your Pokemon."

Nico looked a bit tentative, probably not expecting a speech. Will wasn't surprised at all, though. all Gym Leaders had a lesson for trainers to learn. Strength of will, power of trust, stuff like that. Nico pulled out Murkrow's Pokeball and tossed it out. The bird Pokemon landed in front and hopped about, ready for the battle. Hestia smiled and called out her first Pokemon. The Pokemon that came out turned out to be a Sandshrew, one which Will had seen walking around with Hestia through the town.

A huge monitor that Will hadn't even noticed turned on at the far end of the room. It was basically a giant Battle Monitor, sans all the specific details other than health bars. Will started to feel nervous for Nico, but excited at the same time. He shifted in his seat, and found himself completely enthralled in the battle that was about to take place.

It started off with Nico's attack. Murkrow's arsenal consisted of Wing Attack, Astonish, Pursuit, and Haze. Pretty standard stuff, if Will had to comment on that. Murkrow flew high into the air and started with a Wing Attack. The Sandshrew dodged it rather easily, retaliating with a Scratch attack. The move barely missed Murkrow, which veered out of control and landed roughly on land. _Ouch. It doesn't look like Murkrow took too much damage, though._  Hestia called out the next attack. "Sandshrew, use Magnitude as soon as you can!" The Pokemon balled up in concentration, yelling "Shreeewww!". The attack started to shake the ground around Murkrow, but Murkrow squawked and flapped its wings and hopped off the ground into the air. "All right, Murkrow, retaliate with Pursuit!" Murkrow radiated a dark aura as it flew at Sandshrew, which was still in its balled-up state; the attack hit Sandshrew squarely on its body. Igglybuff cheered and hopped next to Will.

"Sandshrew," Hestia called out calmly, "dig underground. Wait for an opening."Nico yelled something about being cautious to Murkrow. The bird Pokemon glided in circles around the field, anticipating an attack. As Murkrow was about to regain altitude, Sandshrew burst out of the ground with a loud crash, catching Murkrow by surprise. Will was also surprised by the attack, jumping in his seat suddenly. The sudden crash and Sandshrew popping out caught him off guard. _No one saw that. It didn't happen._

Will looked over to the arena screen. Murkrow took a hefty amount of damage from that attack. Will looked back at Nico. He could tell that Nico was trying to come up with some kind of plan. After Murkrow flew back into the air, Hestia called to Sandshrew, telling it to use Dig again. The Pokemon dug back into the ground. Nico hesitated before telling Murkrow to fly as high as it could. The Pokemon was near the highest part of the ceiling, circling around. Nico waited, in what Will assumed was to wait out the Sandshrew. But the Pokemon wasn't resurfacing. Nico looked deep in thought before calling out to Murkrow. "Get down lower Murkrow. Slowly." Murkrow complied, flying lower and lower a little bit at the time. At a certain altitude, the Sandshrew burst out of the ground and made an attempt to attack Murkrow. It didn't surprise Will this time. The bird Pokemon had plenty of time to react, and dodged out of the way. Nico called out, "Quick, Wing Attack!" Murkrow spiraled back and dove at the opponent with glowing wings. The attack hit Sandshrew at the apex of its leap. Will suddenly understood what Nico wanted to do. It was the same thing Cubone did with Igglybuff. _Clever._

Sandshrew's health was now at 3/4 full. Again, Hestia told Sandshrew to dig back under the second it made contact with the ground. The rodent was still in the air, but quickly positioned itself in a stance ready to dig back into the ground. The Pokemon sped towards the ground, to safety. "Murkrow, Pursuit!" Murkrow spun around and radiated a black aura that extended out to the falling Sandshrew. Murkrow nose-dived to its target, gaining on the opposing Pokemon. The Sandshrew was getting closer and closer to the ground, but Murkrow was getting closer. The suspense was killing Will; it had him on the edge of his seat. Just as Sandshrew touched the ground claw-first, Murkrow's attack landed, and upon contact the black aura flashed before disappearing, leaving a cloud of dust behind. Out of the dust, Murkrow came soaring out, looking exhausted. When the dust cleared, Sandshrew was laying on its back, knocked out. Hestia recalled her Pokemon.

Both Will and Igglybuff jumped out of their seats, wooing and "Iggly!"-ing. Just one more Pokemon left.

Nico looked over to Will for assurance. He looked disheveled but focused, evidentely very much into the battle. Will gave him a thumbs up and a smile, which led to Nico smiling back. Will felt his face flush. _Shut up, stupid beating heart. Can it for later._

Hestia looked pleased. "Good job, Nico. I can already tell you're an excellent trainer." She replaced Sandshrew's Pokeball with a different one, calling out her last Pokemon. The form turned into - a Nidoqueen. _Wait, what? She ... what? That's ... there's no way-_ Will turned to look at Nico quickly, who apparently was having the same thoughts. He looked utterly dismayed. Will began to feel nervous, the real kind of nervousness, jitters passing through his chest. This was not going to be easy.

The bulky Pokemon stepped forward into the field, looking terrifying. Hestia started the first attack this time. "Nidoqueen, use Poison Sting!". The Poison-type roared fiercely and its tail started to glow a sickly shade of purple. Nico yelled, "Murkrow, quick! Try and fly as fast as you can!" The Nidoqueen whipped its tail sideways, which released a barrage of small, pink barbs. The projectiles flew towards the fleeing Murkrow, which sped around in evasive maneuvers to avoid the attack. Nidqueen continued to fling poisonous projectiles. Murkrow dodged the onslaught time after time, but it was tiring out. The Pokemon started to slow down, and the projectiles caught up to it. Will flinched as the projectiles landed a direct hit, causing Murkrow to crash into the ground, having fainted. Nico recalled Murkrow, looking worried. That attack had wiped all of Murkrow's health, and it still had 3/4 of it before it was hit.

Will's knee started to shake up and down, as it did whenever he was seriously nervous. He didn't really think there was anything he could do. On the battlefield, Nico looked down at Cubone, who was standing next to him. The Pokemon looked determined and ready, despite the challenge it faced ahead. "Okay Cubone," Nico said. "Let's do this." Cubone jumped into position, in a defensive stance. Will knew what that meant. Nico and Cubone were going to test the waters, and see what Nidoqueen and Hestia had up their sleeves.

The action that followed was nerve wracking. Cubone dodged attack after attack, sometimes by inches, and each time it looked like Nidoqueen was going to land a hit. Finally, Nico seemed to see an opening, and Cubone was able to get in close, hitting the Nidoqueen with Bone Club on the head. The Nidoqueen stumbled back and shook its head, roaring. The arena monitor showed that it took a hefty amount of damage. The Ground-typing gave the attack an extra oomph, complimentary of Nidoqueen's Poison-typing. There was some hope.

Nidoqueen's retaliation was Earthquake; the Pokemon released a roar that shook the field violently, and Cubone stumbled and crashed onto the floor. Nico had scowled. There wasn't a way for Cubone to avoid that move, even if it tried. The attack, despite being strong, had done some work. Cubone's health had taken a sever beating, it's health down to a few health points. Will was starting to feel like all hope was lost. All the training and days spent battling were lost. Even the slightest hit would end the match. Cubone struggled back onto its feet, and Nico looked desperate. The two shared a split second of eye-contact before Nico nodded. It was times like these when Will swore that they had some sort of telepathic bond, because they seemed to understand each other. Cubone steeled itself and charged directly towards Nidoqueen. The opponent sent out a barrage of Poison Sting attacks again, but Cubone dodged them all. Cubone closed the gap surprisingly fast, and it swung its bone with a surprising amount of force upwards. The Nidoqueen, which probably wasn't expecting it, was knocked into the air. Cubone jumped backwards, throwing its bone with a hard swish. The bone glowed bright blue, splitting into five replicas. The attack hit the Nidoqueen, emitting an enormous cloud of dust on the field. 

Will stood up from his seat, heart pumping fast. This had to do it. Cubone looked exhausted, ready to collapse. It had all happened so fast, he wasn't sure if Cubone could perform something like that again. The silence that followed the impact of the attack was ridiculous. Will watched with anticipation to see if the attacks were enough. Everyone in the room seemed to be holding their breaths for what felt like an eternity. A loud crash was heard, and when the dust cleared, Nidoqueen was laying on its back. The Pokemon was immobile for a few seconds before it started to get up. With each step it took to get up, the further down Will's heart fell. If it still had the energy to use a few more attacks... 

But the attacks never came. The Nidoqueen stood up and managed to keep its balance before falling back over, completely knocked out.

Will couldn't believe it. Hestia recalled Nidoqueen back, and the room remained silent, surprise and disbelief filling the room. Suddenly Igglybuff burst into a loud cheer, and soon after Will followed, calling out "Yeah! You did it!" Will and Igglybuff barreled off the bleachers and Will found himself next to Nico, smiling like a madman. Nico looked stunned about the whole thing, and Cubone sat down where he was, looking completely tired out. Will was wholeheartedly overjoyed for Nico.

Hestia was the only one who didn't seem surprised. She simply had a warm smile and a knowing glint in her eye.

After a few minutes, where Igglybuff and Will celebrated Nico's victory with compliments, "Puffs!", and enthusiasm, the excitement died down. Will felt ecstatic as ever, but it was now more contained in his smile than anything else. Igglybuff was dancing happily in circles; it was probably going to keep at it until night came. Hestia walked over to Nico. "You did marvelously, Nico." She signaled toward the door through which she had originally came from. "If you don't mind, I'd like you all to come with me. I want to officially confer upon you the Gym Badge for beating our Gym." Nico nodded and the group followed Hestia out of the arena, with Igglybuff dancing as they walked. 

Will's excitement was hardly contained, and all he could feel was a profound admiration for Nico.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really love writing Will. So much dorkiness, so many possibilities.
> 
> Also there's a conversation that happens between Hestia and Nico, but it's a lot of exposition and I decided that it merits its own chapter to be included with the next one.
> 
> If you want to drop a comment, please do! It's free! :)


	7. A Perfect Lunch, Mostly

Sometimes, Will wondered when his life would become interesting. It was always the same old thing. Daycare responsibilities every day, go out to town and try and find something to do every afternoon, and visit Cecil to bicker back and forth. Same old, same old. Before, everything was absolutely dandy, and Will found no trouble doing the routine again and again. It wasn't until life led him here, in a very comfy armchair in front of a very nice fireplace, did he start to wish life would shake things up for him.

Maybe it was the last few days, or maybe it was the adrenaline from witnessing a spectacular battle that led him to believe that his life was bland. Case in point: since the day he met a certain gloomy, I'm-so-dark-and-edgy trainer, his life had been nothing but fun, among other things. So here he was, in the office of the town's Gym Leader, with the Gym Leader herself, the trainer who beat her against what seemed like all odds, his Pokemon, and Igglybuff, who was still dancing.

Will shook his legs up and down as he sat, thinking if his life could get any more riveting. Across from him, Hestia sat calmly in a similar chair, carrying a box she had taken out of a cabinet earlier. Nico was standing next to Will, giving his chair up to Igglybuff and Cubone.

"That was a spectacular battle, Nico. I've never seen such a strong bond between a Pokemon and its trainer at such a young age. You have earned this thrice over." Hestia opened the box, revealing one of many replica badges. "The Hearth Badge. You are one step closer to challenging the Elite Four."

Nico took the badge and flipped it in his hand. Will couldn't really tell what the badge looked like in detail, but he figured he would ask later. Nico put the badge away in one of the front pockets of his bag. "Thank you. Is there any reason we're, you know," Nico motioned to the entirety of the room "here?".

"Yes, actually. I wanted to talk to you about a particular change. Please, make yourselves comfortable." Hestia paused and waited for Nico to sit down, but he stood standing, instead choosing to lean on Will's chair. Will rested his head on his hand, still bouncing his leg. _'Oh, that's very comfortable, di Angelo.'_

"As you know, the Olympia Pokemon League consists of 8 Gyms which test your strengths as a trainer. You will find these Gyms in major cities scattered around the region. Each Gym teaches important morals and lessons centered around a theme. My Gym teaches humbleness and embraceing of others. Other Gyms will test your strength, wisdom, wit, and pure skill."

Nico nodded in acknowledgement. _'For someone who just had such an epic achievement, you're being pretty 'meh', di Angelo'_. Will figured Nico was usually a stick-in-the-mud when there weren't any battles going on.

"There has been a recent restructuring of the League, within the last two years, actually. Most Gym Leaders are seasoned veterans who have been doing this a very long time. And while they are masters of their elements, new and upcoming individuals have taken the spot the Gym Leaders have stepped down from. That is to say, the region has seen a complete renewal of the system. The new Gym Leaders carry the same values and morals as the old League, but have new and, well ... interesting methods. In fact, I think this is the only traditional Gym experience you will have." Hestia stood up and paced the room slowly. Her tone had turned to a more serious tone. Will couldn't be sure, but there was the slightest hint of ... resentment?

"I'm the last of the old Gym Leaders. I have no "heirs", so to speak, to take my place. But I am more than happy to provide the starting point for every trainer's journey. A place of familiarity and just the right place to test limits."

Will straightened up in his seat. There was a burning question about that last part, because it seemed a little unbelievable. "Hestia, sorry to interrupt, but ... a strong Pokemon like Nidoqueen is a bit overkill for this place to be a 'starting point', isn't it? I mean, I don't mean to be rude, but that was, well - yeah." Will tried his best to articulate his words, but he didn't really know what else he could say. Hestia simply laughed.

"No, Will. You see, I like to really push Trainers to their limit. To put their insecurities to rest. To show them that they can. Nidoqueen is one of four different Pokemon I have to push those limits. I gauge the ability of a trainer with Sandshrew, and pick the second Pokemon accordingly. Rest assured, Nico, I did not let you win. Nidoqueen is my strongest Pokemon. She is very competitive, and very hard to stand up to." Will looked over to Nico, who, presumably, was just about to remark on Hestia's methods. If anything though, this just made Nico's feat even greater; if Hestia used the strongest Pokemon she had and went all out, then Nico really did win against all odds.

"Well then, I think I've kept you here long enough. That is all I wanted to tell you. It is simply a word of caution, if you will. Before you leave, though, I'd like you to take this." Hestia took out a CD from the same drawer she had taken the Badge out of. It was a TM. Will was familiar with them from his line of work. The Daycare had its own small library of them to teach client Pokemon certain moves that they would otherwise have a difficult time learning; it was more of a complimentary service than anything. "This is a Technical Machine, or TM for short. This one contains Return. It'll prove useful to someone with a strong bond like you have with Cubone." Nico took the TM and thanked Hestia.

The rest of the visit was pretty quick. They said their goodbyes and Hestia promised Nico that he "would always be welcome here, as a place of repose".

~

Will couldn't tell if the day was going by rather quickly or his brain was compressing time into a fast-forwarded videocassette, but he found himself trying to convince Nico to go to the local outdoor marketplace at the plaza. "C'mon, di Angelo, it's the afternoon, you've gotta be starving to death! I am! And Iggs, too, right Iggs?" Igglybuff gave stub-pump of agreement. "Nico continued walking down the street, with seemingly no destination in mind.

"If you're starving, then go eat, Solace. I'm not stopping you."

"Oh, come on, please? You just hit the first milestone of the Olympia League and you don't want lunch?"

"Nope."

Will picked up his pace and turned around to face Nico. He let out a false indignant sigh. "Oh well, I guess I'll be all on my lonesome. Eating lunch all alone. With no one to share with ... all alone..."

"Fine! Fine. It's not like I have anywhere to be right now anyway." Nico huffed and waved his hand at Will, trying to act irritated, but Will was under the impression he was just being difficult. _'What else is new. Well, nothing, really.'_

Will led the group in the direction of the plaza, with Igglybuff close behind. The walk there was relatively quiet but short, so there wasn't a terrible amount of silence. Will was happy to just simply waste time for now, but in the back of his mind he started to realize that Nico was going to leave the next day. He wasn't all that excited about it. It had been, what, four days? Days that were so fulfilling and exciting that thinking about going back to the _usual routine_ was, well, _boring_.

Besides, even though the flustered mess of feelings he had when he met Nico had toned down significantly, they were still there; they might have even developed into an admiring fondness of sorts. Will wanted Nico to stick around, which was silly.

When they arrived at the plaza, Will pointed to a couple of tables adorned with flowers under the shade of multiple umbrellas. "There's a great spot. You wait there while I go get food. What're you in the mood for?" Nico shrugged, making Will roll his eyes. "You're eating whatever I get you then."

Will headed to a nice little shop with Igglybuff as Nico and Cubone settled down at the tables. Will didn't know what Nico liked, or if he even ate. _'He's probably a vampire. I wouldn't be surprised. Wait, what if he has allergies? Like, life-threatening allergies?'_ Will fretted for a few minutes about the serious consequences of death-by-food before walking up to the take-out window and ordering. In the end, he bought a respectable amount of food, which included a gluten-free sandwich (which Will was surprised was even possible), a veggie sandwich, a meaty sandwich, a salad, and three different drinks. Just in case. No one can ever really know if someone's fatal weakness is citrus or berries.

~

Lunch went very well. Nico had simply said "You're ridiculous, Solace." with the Eye Roll™ before adding "thanks, though". Will ended up with the meat sandwich; he was grateful, because he was quite the carnivore. "You know", Nico said, "do you ever think what kind of meat you're eat-" Will interrupted him, holding his hand up.

"We don't talk about that, di Angelo. It's not something we will ever talk about." Will shook his head. He preferred to enjoy his food without knowing what it used to be. Actually, he'd love to never think about the origins to most of his food. Ever.

Will was enjoying the afternoon and lunch, being happy simply passing the time. He was in the middle of tossing pieces of salad for Igglybuff to catch with its mouth when his day turned upside down. Off in the distance near the entrance to the plaza, he saw an all too familiar figure. And the figure seemed to spot him immediately, too. Cecil, with a devilish smirk, was walking into the plaza with his Marill. _'Cecil, I swear to gods, please go away. Go away. Don't come over here. Please, please, please.'_

Will was pretty sure that Cecil could hear his silent pleas and took it as a sign to ruin Will's life. Cecil walked towards them with the biggest, I'm-up-to-no-good grin Will had ever seen him wear. Will's pleas of _'Please, no. Don't come over here._ turned into _'I hate you. I will hate you forever. Why me.'_ All Will could do was wait and watch as his terrible excuse for a friend came closer to condemning him to a terrible fate.

Cecil approached the table and cheerily introduced himself in the sweet tone he always used when he was up to no good. "Hey Will. Haven't seen you in a while." He looked over to Nico. "Hi. I'm Cecil. A friend of Will's"

Nico simply nodded. "Nico." Igglybuff jumped off the table to greet Marill. That puff had absolutely no perception of devastating life events.

Cecil grinned even more. "Yeah, Will's talked a lot about you." Will died a little inside. He did his best to try and kill Cecil with a death glare, but Cecil wasn't paying attention. "I haven't seen him much this week, though. We usually hang out all the time, but I guess he's been busy doing other things." Scratch that, Will felt most of him die. His face burned up at the potential implications _that_ little sentence held. He sank into his chair.

Nico said nothing, which could be a good thing or a bad thing. Honestly, he held such a good poker face that Will had no idea if he got the implications or it simply went over his head. Cecil glanced over to Will; even though he looked pretty happy, Will knew he was dying of laughter inside. He'd probably have tears in his eyes, too. "Well, anyway, I need to get going. We should catch up, sometime Will. See you two around." And just as quickly as he had come, Cecil left and disappeared around a street corner. Will was going to murder him.

Will looked up at Nico, who was staring at him. Nico was the first to speak. "So, you talk a lot about me?" He had a the slightest hint of amusement. Will groaned and banged his head against the table.

"I haven't even talked to him since-" Will stopped himself. _'since I saw you walking down the street and he called me out on my stupid feelings.'_ "since before we started training. Like, a few days ago." Thankfully, Nico didn't push more. _'Thank gods'_. Cecil would probably hunt him down and he'd never hear the end of it, though. This time he'd have Cecil haunting him 24/7.

~

The afternoon passed without much happening. They spent the rest of the afternoon around a field of wild grass near the Pokemon Center. They did nothing in particular, but Will's mind was preparing for the barrage of teasing and that damn eyebrow wiggle Cecil did when he was cocky.

Evening came, and Nico mentioned that he needed to do a few things before night settled. Will was so out of it, though, that he simply nodded and they said their goodbyes. Nico hesitated, looking like he wanted to say something else, but Will didn't really register it.

When Will got home, his mom greeted him, asking him how the day went. After explaining the day's events, his mom nodded and told him to congratulate Nico for her.

"By the way, Will, you have another letter. It's from your father." She handed him the letter, and patted his back.

Will suddenly remembered the letter from what seemed like a very long time ago. The letter from his distant father, inviting him to study in medical school. Inviting him to leave everything behind in favor of becoming what he didn't want to be. Looks like his father cared enough to actually care about this. Which was something Will was not happy about.

_'I'll ... open this tomorrow. I can't read this. Not now. Not after such a good day.'_ Will went to his room and sat on the edge of his bed. He dug out the other letter from the gap between his drawer and the wall, sighing. Will sat there for a while, until Igglybuff came bouncing into the room happily, oblivious to it all.

Setting the letters down by his lamp, his brain worked furiously to not let these pieces of papers ruin the great day he just had.

_'Welcome back to the real world, Will'_ , he thought to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (In tune to "Staying Alive")  
> We're moving along, moving along. Dun, dun, dun, dun.
> 
> Drop a comment down below! I love hearing your thoughts!


	8. Yet Another Rough Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I disappeared for a while, more in the end notes!

It was 4 A.M., and Will had been tossing and turning for hours. Great. No matter how hard he tried, his brain refused to shut off. The few times he was able to doze off, he awoke minutes later, despite feeling like he had slept for the whole night. Will finally sat up in his bed and sighed exasperatedly. He couldn't stop thinking about the letters. Those things were sitting on his night stand a few inches away and they were the cause of his sleepless night.

Will admitted to himself that he was worried. He wasn't all that prepared for dealing with his father. The man had barely held a decent conversation with him over the last few years, and it was never something Will enjoyed. Sure, it was his _dad_ , but his dad was as distant as a parent could get. Now, suddenly, he wanted to offer Will an "education for medical school", so he could be "just like his old man".

After a bit of contemplation, Will grabbed the papers and fumbled around with them in the dark before turning on a flashlight hanging off the bedpost. Tearing open the envelope of the new letter, Will made out the messy scrawl of handwriting on the front. Definitely from his father. Moving on to the letter, Will read:

 

_William,_

_I sent you a letter earlier in the week, but you never responded. That's fine! I'm sure you must have forgotten one way or another ... you are pretty forgetful! Anyway, I'll make it quick. I know you're going to love it here at the offices, so I'm going to send one of my assistants to come fetch you. I've already set everything up! Just be sure to pack everything you want and be ready._

_See you soon!_

 

Will read over the letter a few more times. The length of the letter was a true testament to Apollo's attention span. _'Assistant picking up soon...'_ Will pinched the bridge of his nose exasperatedly. _'Of course. Why not. Just what I've always wanted.'_ He didn't even consider going; it was out of the question. Sure, he really wanted to study in the medical field, and yes at one point he wanted to work in the PokeCenter business. Now though, he wanted nothing more than to study it all on his own.

Will figured his choice boiled down between two options: telling his dad a solid "no", or simply choosing to avoid the situation when the time came. The assistant couldn't force him after all, unless Joys were trained in human kidnapping. Which was unlikely.

Will checked the time again. 4:30 A.M. His mom would probably getting up by now. He got up from his bed and walked to his door. Will wanted to talk to his mom about all this. She didn't even know about this whole ordeal. Hell, she didn't even know there was a first letter. Just as Will was about to open the door, he heard faint sounds of movement and talk. The sounds were indistinguishable, just muffled shuffling and faint conversation. It was probably some passerby stopping to check if they could leave their Pokemon later in the day.

Will returned back to his bed and plopped onto it with a sigh. He wasn't really in the mood to go out in his pajamas and wait for a stranger to leave, so he lay down instead. Thoughts of what to do next and how to do them filled his head until suddenly, his eyes closed and his senses lost to sleep.

 

~

 

Will woke up to sunlight bursting through his windows, illuminating the room. Apparently he had fallen asleep with his mouth open, because his mouth was dry and his throat hurt somewhat. The papers responsible for his sleepless night were scattered around him, in varying states of crumpled-ness. His eyes felt droopy and tired, and his brain moved along sluggishly. Glancing at the clock, Will read 9:30 A.M. If it was any other day, Will would have jumped up and rushed off to apologize and do his morning duties. Getting dressed and brushing his teeth would have happened after that. Instead, Will rolled over, closed his eyes, and sighed.

After a minute or two of silence, Will glanced over to the shelf, noting that it was unusually silent. Igglybuff would have woken him up, but the Pokemon wasn't in sight. A quick scan of the room told Will that Igglybuff wasn't anywhere in the room, either. Will took this as an indication to get up and get the day started, even if it was a late start. Rather than getting dressed, though, Will shuffled out of his room. Will figured he could bribe Igglybuff into doing some of the work, like refilling the food supply, while he got up and ready. a few berry candies would probably do the trick, if Will thought about it.

When Will got to the end of the hallway, however, he was greeted by the sight of Igglybuff playing with ... a Marill. Which meant that a particular friend of his was probably around - right there. Sitting by the front desk, out of sight unless Will walked into the room. Upon hearing his entry, Cecil turned to greet Will, but promptly laughed before quickly covering his mouth, trying to stifle his laughter. "Hey, dude. Sorry, you just look like a Rhydon trampled you like, six times."

Will smiled faintly. "Something like that." Will was happy to see Cecil, even if Cecil did manage to be the cause of his embarrassment and exasperation this week. Even if he didn't really talk to Cecil this week, they were still fairly close and comrades in arms. He needed someone to talk to about "the situation", which was Will's way of referring to his dad's offer without having to call it "dad's kidnapping". Will plopped onto the armchair a little ways away from Cecil.

"Your mom's gone off to the town. She said she'll be back in a few. Something about replacing some supplies you knocked over yesterday?" Cecil sounded amused by the thought. Will searched his memory for the thing he destroyed yesterday. Maybe it was the Pokemon treats, but Will couldn't think of anything else he decimated in his wake the previous morning. _'Gods, that feels like a long time ago. 24 hours ago couldn't have been more different than today...'_

"Earth to Will, you're zoning out." Cecil snapped his fingers jokingly. "Rough night?"

"Yeah, actually." Will watched Marill bounce around Igglybuff as the puff tried to catch its tail. Igglybuff looked red from fatigue. Cecil slouched into an "I'm listening" position, and Will told him just about everything about "the situation". From the very first letter, followed by the second letter, and how he felt about it all, Will talked for a while. Cecil was familiar with Will's reluctance towards his father, and the dynamic between the two. It wasn't really dynamic, though. Will would relate it more with a sinking rock in a moving stream.

After going through the letters, Cecil spoke up. "So, what're you going to do?"

"I dunno. Definitely not going, that's for sure."

Cecil sat up straight and pointed his hand in the air, a thought apparently coming to him. "Come hide out at my house! I've still got that air mattress. Just hang out a few days and leave when the coast is clear."

"I can't stop doing my responsibilities here, Cecil. There's too much work to do."

"Maybe, but if you get abducted by some psycho Joys you're still not going to be around to do the work." Cecil crossed his arms, looking at Will pointedly. "Besides, your mom'll understand. Just do your things early and run back to my place before anyone would bother showing up."

"Okay, let's say I do that. For how long? I don't know when the assistant will be here, or how often they come around. What happens when they leave, and report to Dad? He has such a big ego and he's been the most persistent I've ever seen him, he'll probably come down himself. And that's just asking for trouble."

Cecil shrugged in a defeated tone. "I don't know then. Go talk to your boyfriend. He'll probably have some ideas."

Will's cheeks flared. "He is _not_ my boyfriend, Cecil."

Cecil sighed indifferently. "He certainly looks like it." He started to count off using his fingers as he spoke. "You leave me to rot all alone in typical friend-is-now-in-a-relationship style, you have the hots for him, you go out on dates-"

Will cut him off quickly, sitting up in his seat. "Yesterday wasn't a date! It was lunch. I've known him for like, four days."

Cecil lifted his hands in a surrender, saying, "Alright dude, you win. I'm just saying, you two clearly have something that could turn into something else. No one sees a dude one day and takes them out to lunch a few days later and has that kind of chemistry that quickly. But yeah, go talk to him."

Igglybuff and Marill came into the room, tired from their play. Igglybuff landed in dramatic heap by Will's legs, while Marill simply sat down near Cecil. Cecil got up and stretched. "C'mon, I'll walk with you to town. I gotta get going anyways." Reluctantly, Will agreed. Although, if they happened to find his mom along the way, he'd turn walk back with her. He still needed to explain.

Together, the pair locked up the shop and headed into town, each carrying their respective Pokemon on their backs. The trip was short and quiet; Will was still drained from a sleepless night, and wasn't that up for much. They didn't come across Will's mom, and when they arrived at the plaza, they said their goodbyes. Cecil departed to his home while Will went into the plaza.

In truth, Will didn't really know where Nico was. They hadn't exactly said goodbye in a timely way the day before, and Nico hadn't specified what he would be doing today. His best bet was at the PokeCenter. That's where he was probably staying. With Igglybuff riding on his back, the pair set off.

When he arrived there, he was greeted by a Joy. "Good morning Mr. Solace. What can I do for you?" Will smiled, but inside he was a little more than displeased. Being the son of the Pokemon Center chain in Olympia had its effects, and being recognized by the Joys was definitely one of them. Apollo probably bragged about his son, medic extraordinaire, to the whole company. Will wouldn't put it past him to include a page in the worker's handbook for every employee about him. _'This is my son,'_ it would probably read, _'know him well!'_

Regardless, Will couldn't blame the Joys. "Hi, Nurse Joy. I was wondering if you know where a certain trainer is. His name's Nico di Angelo. Black hair, aviator jacket. He's got a Cubone." Will used his hands to signal Cubone's height, as if it really mattered.

"Oh, of course. He's been out since early in the morning. He hasn't been back since."

"Huh. Okay, thanks. I'm just looking for him." Maybe he was at the Gym, but there wasn't any real reason for that. Will doubted Nico was anywhere in town, so the Gym was his best bet. "Thanks again, Nurse Joy." Will waved goodbye and headed to the door.

As he exited the building, Nurse Joy waved goodbye. "Come back anytime!"

 

~

 

Will had no such luck at the Gym, nor at any of the other places of interest in town. If he had left town then he would've passed by the Daycare, and his mom would've called him. If Nico would even go in, that is. She should have been back by now, but if Nico coincidentally passed by at the same time both him and his mom weren't manning the Daycare, the universe officially hated Will. He headed back in a hurry, despite being exhausted from traversing the whole town a few times.

When Will arrived back, he was exhausted. He opened the door to the Daycare, which was a great indicator that his mom was back. He stepped in to find that his mom was simply sitting at the front desk, looking through papers. Off in the corner, Sudowoodo was standing stoically. "Hey mom. Sorry I bailed on you. Cecil dragged me out of the house."

Will's mom waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it, Will. I took care of the morning things, anyways. I tried to wake you up six or seven times and you were passed out. Didn't sleep well, did you?"

"No, not really. But before that, has Nico come by? I was looking for him in town. You know, the guy who wanted the training for three days." Will sat back down on the armchair he had sat down in in the morning, and Igglybuff hopped off with a soft "Puff", landing on the counter.

"Yeah, he came by really early in the morning. He got me by surprise. He said he wanted to drop off the payment for the training, since he hadn't done that yet. Also said he needed to get up early to get to the next town over." She shifted through papers nonchalantly.

"W-wait, what?" Will had the vague memory from earlier in the morning. That had been Nico. He had left.

"Does that surprise you? Didn't he have his Gym battle yesterday?" Will's mother looked up from her work.

"Yeah, it's just ..." _'I thought he'd say a proper goodbye. Or something. Not just ... disappear.'_ "I forgot he was leaving today." Will's mood deflated even further than he thought possible. Will wasn't quite sure why he was expecting Nico to even say goodbye. Or even do anything besides pay for the service he had wanted and then move on. It was exactly as Will had said to Cecil earlier. It had been a few days. Four at most. Not years, or even months. It was a bit ludicrous, now that Will thought of it, for Nico to act outside the customer-service interaction.

"Will?" His mother looked at him with concern.

But Cecil had also said something, too. They had become relatively good friends for the amount of time they had spent around each other. A seller of a service doesn't take the client out to lunch, or goes to their Gym battle after the service has been delivered. But he had, and Nico had looked like he was enjoying himself.

Gradually but surely, an idea was forming in his head. It seemed like such a natural step. In Will's mind, there was the slimmest of possibilities that he could solve a problem and get to do something entirely crazy. That is, if everything played out in the best case scenario.

"I need to talk to you about something, Mom. It's about a two things, actually. It's about Dad."

 

* * *

 

Nico was incredibly irritated. Apparently, past the forest, the Route was absolutely _infested_ with _Trainers_. That normally wasn't a problem, except these trainers stopped him constantly. Every. Two. Feet. Everyone in the gods-forsaken forest were dying for the need to battle. But they didn't battle each other, because apparently they had already done that. So instead they challenged Nico. Nico was having none of it. It was fun at first, and exhilarating, but after countless battles, he was done. He couldn't back out though, because allegedly, Trainers can't back out of Trainer battles. It was against the Trainer's Code. (Nico was surprised to know that such a thing even existed.)

So here he was, tired and with thin patience, getting stopped every few feet. On the plus side, Murkrow had gained a few levels, but on the negative side, no amount of Potions he had had the good sense to buy earlier could help his Pokemon from being exhausted. It was probably 7 P.M., and after a battle against a kid with an Oddish, Nico was ready to call it quits. That meant he was going to need to sleep outside for the first time. He had no problem with that, but he could have easily made it to the next town and could have been sleeping in a bed at the Pokemon Center.

Nico found a tree with a nice ratio of open space and boulders to set up his sleeping bag. A kid, no older than possibly 8, approached him for a battle. Nico gave him the harshest death stare he could muster, which was enough for the kid to think twice about issuing a challenge. Cubone helped him gather twigs and rocks to set up a small basic fire pit. It was getting chilly, and Nico didn't enjoy the thought of freezing out in the woods. As he setting the fire pit up, he heard a shuffling of feet and some heavy breathing, followed by an "uhh" from behind him.

Nico sighed. "Listen, I've had a long day, I don't want to battle. Go away." He didn't even bother looking back.

"Wow, to think I came all this way, and that's the greeting I get?"

Nico spun around on his knees and was surprised to see Will and Igglybuff, both clad in camping gear. Will was carrying multiple backpacks and was dressed in an orange tee and a green sweater, along with a distinguishable Breeder's bandanna on his wrist. Igglybuff had a headlamp on its tuft and a small pouch on its back. Nico stared in surprise, but quickly recovered. "What're you doing here?"

"I was trying to catch up to you. Forgot to say bye."

"Sorry about that. I didn't really know what to do." Nico scratched the back of his head. "I'm not very good at goodbyes."

"Yeah..." Will shifted on his feet, looking slightly nervous. "... I was also hoping, maybe, if you'd like ... do you mind if I tag along?"

That caught Nico by surprise. His immediate reaction was saying, "What?". Which wasn't exactly a welcoming response.

"Well, I just thought it'd be nice to see the region. I've never actually been. And you're going to go see it, so ... I thought why not? If you'd have me, that is."

Will smiled pleadingly. Igglybuff nodded in agreement.

Nico processed Will's words slowly. It wasn't really a question. Of course he'd love to travel with Will. That'd be great. "Of course! Yeah, I'd like that." Nico found himself smiling at the thought of having a companion on his journey. Having Will here with him now was surprisingly reassuring. Relieving, even.

Will smiled wider, and his voice carried a happy tone."Awesome! I was hoping you'd say yes. Or else I'd have brought all this junk for nothing. Igglybuff jumped over to Nico and tapped his arm happily. Nico patted its tuft awkwardly. This thing was still weird.

Will settled his things against the tree and unpacked a few things, as well as unrolling a faded orange sleeping bag. He brought over a variety of things to the small fire Nico had managed to start with a lighter. Will set up an assortment of lights and electric camping lanterns the size of his palm. Nico looked at him quizzically. "Seriously?"

"What? It's dark." Will held out a package. "Want some food? I brought some sandwiches and fruit."

The group sat there for a while, enjoying each other's company. Cubone sat close by the fire, prodding the embers with his bone, and Igglybuff drew blobs in the dirt with a stick. Occasionally it would look up and shine the light from its headlamp into the darkness and used the stick to cast shadows onto the bushes.

Nico broke the silence, question popping into his head. "Hey, how did you catch up so fast? I've been out here since early in the morning. And how did you not get stopped by all those trainers?"

Will pointed, amused, at his Breeder's bandanna. "This thing. Breeders have a sort of special pass among Trainers. We usually don't have Pokemon fit for battle, since they are being raised, so Trainers won't challenge us if we got this thing on. The cloth is the staple accessory for all Breeders. Everyone knows what it looks like and what it means, so they usually give us a pass. I'm guessing you've been slowed down by all the trainers out here, huh?"

"No kidding. Do they even have lives? Or do they just stand there 24/7, waiting to ambush people?"

Will laughed. "Obviously they have lives. Most of them only come out here a few days a week, and get out here really early in the morning. I'd bet most of them have gone back home by now. Or set up a camp." Nico just nodded in acknowledgment before returning to his sandwich.  

Nico felt happy, knowing that he wouldn't be traveling alone. It was weird, because it had been that way for a long time. Just him and Cubone, doing their thing. But mainly, he was happy to see Will, and the abundance of ways in which his journey would be different.

It was great.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I missed last week's update, and I'll probably be inconsistent for a month or so, because college is starting up again. I had to take care of all the good stuff that comes with starting a new year. Good news is that I've got my new schedule, so I'm starting to plot out my time. Bad news, classes are all weird this semester and it'll probably get more wacky once I officially get back into the mix of things.
> 
> Regardless! I will continue to write and update this fic. Updates might change, though. Right now we're looking at Fridays as the new update day, but that'll probably change. 
> 
> I'll let you guys know when I've settled in and can get back onto a consistent update schedule.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Cheers!


	9. Grand City

Nico woke up from a breeze of chilly air that drifted through his sleeping bag. The morning was sleepily silent, with the exception of some Kricketots chirping lazily somewhere. His body felt stiff from sleeping on the ground, and his nose felt freezing cold. Every slight rustle and movement was unusually louder than normal. Cubone lay curled up in a blanket by his feet, still asleep. Nico could hear Will off to his right, sleeping a bit noisily.

 Nico glanced over and saw that Will had completely covered his head except his face, which was sound asleep. Nico was 95% sure it was because of his completely unreasonable fear of the dark that Will slept like that.  He looked very peaceful asleep. He spent most of his time smiling or looking exasperated or emoting in such dynamic ways, Nico found it kind of nice to see Will look so serene and peaceful. The guy's hair was probably a mess, though, if the golden locks plastered to his forehead were any indication.

 Nico started to hear a small, faint huff next to Will. The noise was coming from Igglybuff, who had apparently fallen asleep in a scarf, still wearing its headlamp and a half-eaten granola bar in its stubby hands. It was drooling. The puffball must've fallen asleep eating. Nico would never understand that creature; it was just so weird.

 He lay there for a good while, relaxing and taking the time to slow down and think. He didn't have nightmares during the night, which was good. The night before, Nico had had the same terrible dream that followed him everywhere. It was why he had gotten up so early. He didn't want to waste time waiting for nothing just to move on again. Truthfully, he felt horrible leaving without saying goodbye to Will, but he wasn't quite good with people. When he stopped by the Daycare, most of him hoped that he'd be behind the counter, smiling and greeting him. Another small part hoped he wasn't, because goodbyes were difficult. All the goodbyes in Nico's life seemed so permanent. Unfortunately, and partially thankfully, Will's mother greeted him; Nico quickly paid her and thanked her for everything, feeling regretful.

 _'It doesn't really matter anymore, does it? He's here now..._ ' It was pretty curious, though. He looked so happy doing his job. And it looked like he was a pretty big crutch for the business.  Nico couldn't fathom why Will would suddenly make a complete 180 and decided to leave home. Maybe he was worn out from the same routine day after day, and maybe he wanted to see and experience something new. Nico could get behind that. Still, he wondered who would take Will's place at the Daycare. Or how.

 Nico checked his Monitor laid out next to his sleeping bag. It was 5:36, so Nico made the effort to start getting up. Getting out of the sleeping bag felt clumsy, and he was even colder. He quickly grabbed his jacket and pulled it on. Even if the black tee he had worn to bed wasn't the warmest thing, he couldn't exactly sleep in his rucksack with the jacket on. It was too tight of a fit.

 Nico repacked his belongings as quietly as he could. As Nico rolled up his sleeping bag, he heard some movement behind him. Nico looked to his side to find Igglybuff standing next to him, eating its granola bar and looking intently at the bag in Nico's hands _. 'Okay ... that's not creepy at all.'_ Nico awkwardly finished up and scooted over a bit to the left, away from Igglybuff.

 Nico waited for Cubone and Will to wake up, looking around the forest and plains. The sleepy silence from earlier was getting awkward though. All that he could hear besides the morning ambience was the slow _munch, munch, munch_ Igglybuff was making. Nico could feel the Pokémon staring at him, too. He was just contemplating waking Cubone up when his stomach unwillingly growled. He hadn't really paid much attention, but now that Nico thought about it, he was pretty hungry. Nico felt a tap on his arm, and turned to look. Igglybuff stared back, it's face covered in crumbs from its snack, which it was holding with both stubs. The Pokémon promptly snapped its snack in half, and offered the unbitten piece. Nico hesitated before taking the piece tentatively, nodding slowly. “Thanks …”

Nico kept the snack in his hand, and turned his attention back to the forest. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Igglybuff still staring at him. Nico’s attention turned back to the pink puff. The Pokémon looked back and forth between Nico and the piece of snack before pointing at Nico’s hand and exclaiming, “Buff!”. Nico understood the Pokémon’s exclamation as “Eat it!”, and took a bite from the granola bar. If Nico was being entirely honest, though, he wasn’t too thrilled about it. The food had been laying next to Igglybuff for a good portion of the night and it was probably covered in drool. But if it would get Igglybuff to stop staring at him weirdly, he'd do it. Nico ate the granola bar as if it would release some gross substance if he chewed too quickly or too hard. Igglybuff looked delighted and started to sway from side to side in subtle joy. The puff reached up and patted Nico’s arm approvingly. Nico couldn’t help but chuckle just the tiniest bit. Despite his previous dislike of Igglybuff’s eerie jubilance, the Pokémon’s kindness was kind of endearing.

From behind the pair, Nico heard a laugh and some movement. “Aww, that’s the best thing I could have woken up to!"

Nico groaned and turned to face Will. “Hurry up and get up, Solace. Gotta get out of this forest before those no-life trainers show up. And food.”

Will gave him an enthusiastic salute from inside his sleeping bag. “Aye-aye, Captain!” He unzipped his sleeping bag and stretched before starting to pack up. He was halfway through putting his sleeping bag away before hesitating. “… Wait, so is the dark-edgy-thing, like, _your_ thing, or are you actually a big softie on the inside?”

“Solace!”

Will laughed again before returning to his packing.

It took roughly ten minutes for Will to pack up, Igglybuff to eat the rest of its snack (Nico had to wonder how it could eat so slowly; it had ravaged that sandwich the other day), and for Cubone to wake up and join Nico by his side.

When they were all ready to go, Will gave Nico the thumbs-up to get moving. “It’s still pretty early. We’ll probably get there in half an hour.”

The group headed out of the clearing and onto the trail that led towards the forest again. _‘Okay, we’ll make good time. And it looks like- ‘_

“Hey, you!” A kid’s voice called out to them from behind a tree. A bratty thirteen-year-old appeared and pointed at Nico. “You’re a trainer! I’m gonna battle you!”

Nico slumped his shoulders and sighed what was probably his biggest sigh yet during this journey. He muttered under his breath, “Make that _two hours._ ”

 

~

 

“I swear to Gods, Will, if we have to pass through _another_ field of grass like government agents just to skip by battling some middle-schooler I’m going to- “

“Alright, slow your Rapidash! We’re almost there! Look!”

Will moved through the brush and out onto a main road, with Nico following close behind. Igglybuff was hopping around in a mock-spy way, apparently getting a kick out of the whole thing. The last hour had been spent not only moving through the forest off the path (which led to scrapes and scratches), but also crouching through tall grass and shuffling by in an attempt to avoid battling more trainers. Nico would much rather have battled the trainers and moved on, but Will insisted it saved them time and that it was better that way. Nico disagreed: they looked like idiots trying to get by secretly so that the _twelve-year-old girl_ wouldn’t see them, in his opinion. One trainer had spotted them, but was so taken aback that he didn’t even bother issuing a challenge. He was more weirded out than anything.

Finally back on the main road, Nico put Cubone down from his backpack and stretched his arms. He took a minute to look around the route: the scenery had shifted from lush, green trees into a tamer grassland, varying from different shades of greens and browns, with a fair number of trees scattered around. The shrubbery they had just popped out of was the end of the forest. The best thing of all for Nico, though, was that there wasn’t a single trainer in sight. He was done with that, for now. At least, done with being overridden by trainers every few steps.

Nico allowed himself to slow down a bit, and Will did the same. The path sometimes had weird metal plating, like the path melded with some sort of metal container buried under the ground. The city was visible off in the distance, and they could see that the metal floor became more prominent the closer they got to the city. At one point, there was a small box sticking out of the ground. It had what appeared to be outlets, for charging. Will raised his eyebrow. “That’s uh, something you don’t see every day.”

Nico silently agreed, noting that there were more oddities up ahead. There was a rusted metal pipe which protruded out of the ground before going back in for seemingly no reason, a series of solar panels connected to a large fan in the ground, and a tree which had antennas sticking out of it. A group of Jumpluff and Hoppip were using the fan to fly into the air and drift off, which Nico guessed was the machine’s entire purpose. “Makes sense,” Will watched the Pokémon shoot off into the sky, and gestured toward the area, “not much wind around here. The people in the city probably put this out here to help the Jumpluff get around. It’s pretty cool, actually.”

As they reached the city limits, an electric sign whirred to life, and read ‘Welcome to Lavarge!’. “Well, we’re finally here.” Nico started to walk towards the entrance, but he could have sworn that out of the corner of his eye the sign was flashing a small message whenever he wasn’t looking. The text looked like “Len Rules”, or something like it. He wasn’t too sure.

Nico was awestruck by the city’s appearance; it was enormous. It had a lot going on, and definitely overshadowed the last town. It was a weird mix of clunky industrial and sleek modern; some aspects were very steampunk-esque, with pipes protruding through buildings, while others were almost futuristic, with glass-panned structures that towered over the others. Some areas had thin, clear pipes which pumped a white-hot liquid through the streets and into various structures. Every which direction, parts of the buildings were moving. Fans, gears, and Steel-type Pokémon whirred away restlessly.

The streets were busy too, with people bustling around doing their business. The group headed into a smaller, less packed street, where they continued walking. “Looks like the city couldn’t decide which era it belonged in,” Will commented, still taking in every building and its moving parts. He picked up Igglybuff, who was far too excited to trust bouncing around on its own. Nico did the same to Cubone, for the sake of keeping together easier.

“Let’s find a PokéCenter. It’ll be easier to think there.”

After asking around and getting lost in the maze of streets, they finally arrived at the familiar red-roofed building. Despite the city’s unique theming, the Pokémon Center looked practically the same as the last town’s.

“Hello, welcome to the Pokémon Center! How can we help you today?” The Nurse Joy smiled the standard Joy-smile, and waved politely.

Will took charge before Nico could say anything. “Hi, good morning! We’re coming from another town and want to check-in to a Traveler’s Room, if there are any.”

“Of course! Let me check if we have any openings…” Nurse Joy checked a computer that was noticeably more advanced and refined than the last PokéCenter’s machines. Probably one of the city’s benefits.

“Well, we have just one room. I can make arrangements for an extra chair and some blankets, if you’d both like to stay.”

“Yes, that’s perfect!”

“Alright, please follow me.” Nurse Joy motioned towards the hallway Nico had gone in and out of many times. It definitely felt weird, because that specific hallway was a few miles back. Nurse Joy led them to the end of the hallway and to the door on the left-hand side. “I’ll bring an extra Pokémon bed for your companions. I’ll be back in a minute.” Nurse Joy closed the door behind her, leaving the group inside.

Will tossed his bags down hastily, and gave Igglybuff its tiny bag. “Actually, I need to go use the little boy’s room, so be right back!” He rushed outside the room and shut the door. Nico heard Will’s footsteps all the way down the hall. He sat down on the bed tiredly, his feet feeling sore from all the walking and sneaking. Cubone climbed the bed and plopped down next to him.

“How’re you holding up, pal?” Nico patted its head lightly. Cubone responded with a short “Cu. Cubone”. The Pokémon looked energetic, but a bit hampered out by the day’s walk. “We’re just going to look around today, maybe find the Gym, okay? If all’s good and you think we can take them, we’ll challenge the Gym tomorrow.” Cubone nodded in agreement. Nico didn’t want to spend too much time at Lavarge. If anything, they’d spend a day training outside the town and maybe catch a new Pokémon. He was starting to get the hang of battling strategies that extended beyond the common Pidgey now, which would help in training.

 

~

 

It was starting to get to be about 3 P.M., which turned out to be a good time to explore the city. Nurse Joy had given Nico a rundown of the city earlier, and once that was done, navigating was much easier. The city’s main streets all led to the center of town, where the city’s biggest building was located. The smaller streets led into a maze of alleys and side streets in between the big roads, but eventually you’d pop out back on a main road. Both Will and Nico had left all their gear back in the room, except for their Trainer Bags and some personal items. Nico had brought his PokéBall belt with him, along with his wallet.  They had had a great brunch a few hours before at a walk-by food place which served the best burgers Nico had ever tasted.

They spent a few more hours after lunch roaming the city, taking in the impressive sights. Will suggested that the Gym was probably in the center of the city, since it was the biggest structure, so that’s where they headed. Nico noticed new Pokémon flying in the air. His Pokédex identified them as Magnemites, Klinks, Klangs, and the rare Klinklangs. With all the Steel-types and the city having a lot to do with electricity and technology, Nico figured the Gym might be either Electric- or Steel-type. Either was fine, since Cubone had a type-advantage over both. Murkrow could have trouble with Electric-types, but they’d make do.

Nico didn’t think he could be any more impressed with the city until they reached the city’s center, which was a plaza. In the middle, an enormous building shaped like a prism towered over everything else. The building itself was made of a shiny bronze material, and it was intricately decorated with a maze of pipes and the white-hot liquid tubes sticking out of the sides of the building. Two enormous steel pipes that connected into the ground also connected into the building through a large opening on the side. The roof of the building was covered in smokestacks, which were billowing white smoke into the air. Walking to the other side of the building, Nico saw the entrance to the building. A pair of steel doors were next to a kiln-like fireplace. The clear tubes that they saw around the city were pumping the white-hot liquid into the fireplace, causing the flames inside to roar up. The rest of the entrance to the building was decorated with tools like mallets, pliers, and an assortment of tools Nico didn’t recognize.

“Oh, I get it. It’s a forge!” Will walked to the entrance quickly and excitedly. “A really, _really_ big one.” Nico caught up to Will and together they approached the metal doors. The doors wouldn’t open though, much to their disappointment. Will tried to peer inside through the cracks between the doors, but Nico figured Will couldn’t see anything, because he sighed.

“Maybe the place is closed today.”

“If it was, it nothing would be running.” Will sighed. “I bet it looks really cool in there.”

“Well, we really should’ve asked when the Gym’s hours were. Kind of the obvious thing to do, now that I think about it…”

Will sighed again, slumping his shoulders. “Guess there’s always tomorrow.”

Nico turned around and scanned the plaza. It was relatively empty, except for a few people. But there was someone pacing back and forth near another entrance to the plaza. He was pacing quickly, and his hands were working meticulously on something, though he didn’t seem to be paying much attention to what he was doing. The guy had messy, curly brown hair and a tool belt tied to his waist. Looked like he was a mechanic of some sort.

“Hey, Will. That guy looks like he might know something.”

Will turned to look and raised his eyebrow. “Really? Just because he’s got a tool belt? That’s a bit presumptuous, Nico.”

“What does that mean? Have you seen anyone else dressed like that?”

“He could just be- “

“Just ask him, Solace!”

“Okay, mercy!” Will waved his hands up in the air dramatically. “I doubt he’ll know anything, though.”

Nico followed Will, making sure Cubone and Igglybuff were following as well.

Will stopped a few feet away from the pacing stranger. “Uh, hi. Sorry to bother you.”

The stranger stopped and spun around before locking eyes with Will and nodding with a grin. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Do you know what’s up with the Gym? My friend wanted to challenge it, but…”

The stranger looked at Nico, and greeted him with the same nod and grin he had given Will. “The Gym’s kind of … closed right now. There’s been some internal problems. I don’t think it’ll open until the problem’s fixed.”

“Do you know if the Gym Leader’s trying to fix it?”

“Ha, I’ve been trying like crazy, man. There’s only so much I can do, though.”

Nico wasn’t all that surprised to learn that this guy was the Gym Leader. He was surprised nonetheless. Will, though, seemed to have his whole world flipped upside down. “Wait, you’re the Gym Leader?”

“Yup, recently promoted. Within the last year, actually. Name’s Leo, by the way. Leo Valdez.” Leo held out his hand for a handshake, which he gave rather enthusiastically to both Will and Nico. The pair introduced themselves before continuing on their conversation.

Will looked back at the Gym, observing the building. “What’s the problem? It looks like its running fine.”

Leo scratched the back of his head, and shrugged. “The Gym’s autonomous, so it’s able to produce energy just fine – the Gym powers the whole city by the way – but there’s a problem with something else. Man, it’s kind of hard to explain, but basically, we’ve got a bit of a Durant problem. They love Celestial Bronze. We get them a few times a year, and we can usually get rid of them pretty easy, but this time they’re super angry. They’re weirdly hostile than usual, and unfazed by anything.”

Nico frowned, because that was something he’d come across before. The Poochyena from a few days ago was being incredibly aggressive, and it looked like it had gone crazy. And before that, the other time all those years back – “They’re not wandering out of the Gym?”

“Nah, they only really care about the Bronze, but I’m not really all that excited about what’ll happen once they chew through the Gym’s supply downstairs.” Leo put away his machine into his tool belt and ran his hands through his hair. “I’ve been trying to push them out over the last few days but they’re a bit too much. Too many of them.”

“We’ll help.”

Will stuttered out in surprise. “Wait – we what? We will?”

Nico rolled his eyes. “Yeah. What else do we do?”

Leo interrupted before Will could reply. “You probably won’t. The town’s Officers have been at it every day and we can’t fix the problem. I don’t think you guys can help very much.”

“Oh, come on. You can’t be that much older than us, if at all. We can take it.”

“I’m a Gym Leader. You’re a trainer. I outrank you so hard.”

“Doesn’t mean I wasn’t going to challenge you, though.”

Leo grinned mischievously. “Come at me, bro. When the Gym’s open, though. Which might be never.” Leo fidgeted with a screw he had pulled out of his tool belt. He looked like he had a tough time standing still. “I’ll talk to the rest of the Gym people about it. Then we’ll see. Come back tomorrow.”

Nico and Leo came to an agreement, and the discussion was quickly over. Leo excused himself and walked into one of the side roads down the street. Nico looked back at the Gym, thinking about the Durant. There was something more happening. It couldn’t be a coincidence that, for the third time in his life, he stumbled across Pokémon that were acting deranged and wily. There was something going on. Nico didn’t know if it was some kind of sickness or weird mental state, but he doubted it.

“So, are you _trying_ to get us killed?” Will nudged Nico on the shoulder lightly, trying to get his attention.

“No, but how else do I challenge the Gym?”

“Oh, I don’t know, waiting till they fix it? You know, the authorities?”

“We’ll be fine, Will.” Nico was confident in that. “It’s just some Durant.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot how amazing college is with homework. It brings a tear to my eye. :')  
> Anyways, looks like update days are staying on Sundays
> 
> Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!


	10. Infestation Troubles

“How’re we going to pay for all this?” Will asked, holding a bag of _Slurpuffles_. The pink packaging promoted a small marshmallow resembling a Slurpuff, detailed with chocolate eyes and smile, and a red gumdrop on top. Will looked between the bag, the collection of snacks Nico had picked out, and Nico himself. “I didn’t really budget for tons of snacks for the first week. Not to mention, this is all insanely unhealthy.”

Nico gave a package of crackers to Cubone, who was already holding a drink. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got it covered.”

After a night’s rest at the Pokémon Center, Nico wanted to visit a PokéMart to stock up on food. As he had put it, “traveling with no food between towns was a really bad idea”. Nico thought it was better to carry a bit more luggage around if it meant possibly not starving. Before they went back to the Gym, a snack run was the first thing he wanted to do. Laundry was the second thing, but that could wait until the afternoon.

Nico looked over their hoard of snacks, which including _Pika-Chews_ (a kind of fruit snack), trail mix, and a variety of sugar cookies. Apart from that, Will had grabbed a few fruits and canned food. “You can’t eat all that junk every day, it’s not healthy,” Will said when Nico had protested. They would have been done a lot quicker if Will hadn’t fussed over the sodium content of the canned food for fifteen minutes. In the end, Will settled on a few choice cans which were the healthiest from the whole aisle’s stock.

Nico took the liberty of paying for their things while Will was still browsing, if only to get out of the store quicker. Along with the snacks, he had also picked out a few items for his inventory. Potions, a few PokéBall, and a TM he had in mind.

Will rummaged through their new food supply one more time, scrutinizing Nico’s choices. “You’re going to die, running around and just having all this junk in your system. I mean, look at this,” Will pulled out the bag of _Slurpuffles_. “Forty-six grams of sugar in _two pieces_? I mean, I’m not the healthiest eater, but that is _ridiculous_.” He shoved the snack back into the bag.

“I can live off this stuff for days, Solace.”

“More like a day and a handful of hours. You’re lucky you have a fast metabolism.”

Nico opened a bag of hard candies and popped a few into his mouth, just to annoy Will. “Yeah, lucky me.” Will just rolled his eyes, but he didn’t look actually annoyed.

They returned back to the PokéCenter to drop off the snacks and get ready for the day. Nico was really hoping that they’d be able to get into the Gym, but Will wasn’t particularly excited for it. He’d made that pretty clear before they went to bed the night before, and again when they went out to the PokéMart.

Nico had little worries, though. Durant weren’t dangerous, at least not really. They were uncommon pests back home, where they’d climb down from a cave a bit of a ways from his house. Back there, they’d come down to try and eat any metallic materials; the gutter, old bikes, sometimes even silverware they could spy from the window, were all victims of Durant raids. It was always a nuisance more than anything, until Hazel solved the problem by scaring them away with her Stoutland’s Fire Fang. Now, Lillipup’s Roar was similar enough to Stoutland’s that the Durant kept away.

“So,” Will said as he fumbled around with his bag and its contents, “what’s your game plan, anyway? Strike them all down and chase them back to where they came from?”

“Obviously. I’m going to go in there charging head first and stupidly attack all of them at once.” Nico plopped onto the chair and started to sort through his own bag. “But really, I’m thinking that it’s not that big a deal. The Gym Leader guy – “

“Leo,” Will corrected.

“Leo, whatever. He said that he was being overwhelmed before he could chase them out. So, all we need to do is cover him when he gets overrun by the Durant.” It felt like a sound plan, and Nico was sure Cubone and Murkrow were capable of holding the Durant off for a while.

Will just responded with a skeptical hum. Nico zipped up his bag, satisfied with the items he was taking. “Look, Will, if you don’t feel confident, you don’t have to go inside. Just stay outside until Leo and I come back.”

Will quickly shook his head. “No no, if you get hurt, you’re going to need me and Igglybuff. Heal Pulse is better than any Potion or Berry ...” Igglybuff nodded in agreement, which seemed to make Will more disposed. “Yeah, yeah that’s what we’ll do. Iggs and I’ll wait close to the basement and keep an eye out. You can call us if you need help.”

Nico smiled, feeling more confident. “Sounds like a plan. Ready to go?”

Nico strapped his bag to his back and picked up Cubone, placing the Pokémon on its preferred spot on top of the bag. Nico gave the room a quick scan before heading out the room, with Will and Igglybuff behind him.

Out in the main lobby of the PokéCenter, Nico was met by Leo, who was leaning against the counter and working on pieces of a PokéBall. It looked like the guy couldn’t keep still at all. “Hey! I was gonna wait for you two at the Gym, but I figured I’d come find you instead.”

“Uh, how did you know where we were staying?” Will asked.

“You’re travelers. PokéCenter. It’s a thing. And Nurse Joy told me when I asked. Anyway!” Leo signaled to the glass doors, practically skipping to them. “Let’s go! I’ll tell you guys about everything on the way.”

“So I’m guessing we can go into the Gym?”

“Yeah, yeah. C’mon, I’ll tell you guys as we walk.”

Nico and Will followed Leo out the doors. Igglybuff was the only one who seemed more than willing to rise to Leo’s level of hyperness. It bounded out the doors in a similar way, at least.

They walked in silence for a few streets, with Leo being greeted by people as they passed by, and Igglybuff staying right behind Leo’s heels. They passed by one of the tubes that pumped the white-hot liquid, which created a thought in Nico’s head.

“Hey Leo, is the city called “Lavarge” because it’s got these tubes pumping this lava stuff through the city?”

“What?” Leo frowned, retorting, “No! It’s not a pun. That stuff’s not even _lava,_ it’s molten celestial bronze. Purest form of energy in the world.”

“How does that work?” Nico didn’t really understand the entire concept of energy creation, but he doubted hot liquid metal could power a city.

“It’s … complicated,” Leo rubbed his hand together as he thought of way to explain. “Nothing ol’ Leo can’t teach, though! So, ah … celestial bronze is really reactive to certain elements. They create a reaction that forces both metals to go through a phase-change into liquids, creating insane amounts of thermal energy,” Leo shrugged, continuing on. “It’s mostly science-y stuff, which isn’t really my forte, but the best part is all the raw energy it creates – it can power generators by turning water into steam, which spins a turbine hooked to a generator – and voila! 100% clean, pure energy! It’s beautiful.” Leo feigned wiping a tear from his eye.

_‘Wow. He must really like this stuff._ ” Nico looked around the city, observing the different styles of architecture. Across the street, a building with a smokestack billowed black smog into the air. “That smog’s not exactly clean, you know. Why the old technology if you’ve got such a pure energy source?”

Leo looked at the smog, waving his hand dismissively. “Oh, that stuff’s just for style points.”

Will chimed in, apparently interested in Leo’s statement. “Whoa hold up. So all of these buildings don’t actually do anything?”

“Oh, they do something. They look super cool.”

“They’re polluting the air for aesthetic.”

Again, Leo dismissed the idea. “No, because it’s not real smog. The only thing in this city that’s actually doing anything is the celestial bronze tubes.”

Nico looked at Leo quizzically, both confused and in disbelief. Leo just shrugged and smiled. “Gotta get those style points, man.”

Will and Nico looked at each other, and Nico had the sneaking suspicion they were both thinking the same thing.

 

* * *

 

Upon reaching the Gym, Will was starting to have second thoughts. Leo had introduced him to the Officer Jennys who had been waiting to greet them. Will was following along with what they were saying, but the Gym’s entrance seemed to be glaring at him from where he was standing.

“Anyway, we’re glad you can help us,” Officer Jenny’s voice broke through Will’s thoughts. “We’d be more than willing to accompany Mr. Valdez into the building, but we need to be stationed outside, in case any Durant make it outside into the city unnoticed.” The other two Jennys nodded in agreement. ‘ _For how big the city is, the local police force is kind of small…’_ Will thought.

The Jenny to the right started to talk about the details for going in. “We stay out here while Mr. Valdez heads into the building. We’ve found the Durant are attracted to light in their current state of mind. Because the basement contains the reactors, the room is lit up due to the light emitted. To keep any Durant from wandering out of the room, all the lights in the building are turned off.”

Will’s thoughts stuttered to a halt at the last part. “Wait, so the whole building, which has no windows, also has no lights inside?”

The Officer Jenny who had been talking nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”

“It’s completely dark in there.”

“Yes.”

“With big, rabid bugs.”

“We can’t identify their current state of health, but relatively speaking, yes.”

Nico seemed to catch on to Will’s thought process, because he chimed in. “Will, if you don’t want to – “

Will shook his head and shrugged at the same time. “No, it’s fine! I was just wondering.” _‘You left the flashlights at the PokéCenter. Good job! Well, Solace, you had a good run.’_ “Let’s just get through this.”

 

~

 

As Will followed Leo into the Gym, with Igglybuff close behind, his heart filled with dread. The room looked horrible. Besides the light coming in from the outside, the only light source came from the celestial bronze tubes running across the edges of the ceiling. They barely produced any light though, and were more reminiscent of a really long lava lamp tube, rather than the bright LED lights Will sorely wanted them to be.

 Nico closed the door behind him, and suddenly the room got a lot darker. The tubes were creating an orange-white tint on the whole room, which did not help the ambience at all. Leo called out for them to come into the room to Will’s right, but Will wasn’t feeling all that confident anymore. He looked at the tubes, then at the reception desk and the papers scattered across the floor.

“Hey,” Nico stood to his right, and give him a pat on the back. “You really don’t have to be in here if you don’t want to.”

Will really considered backing out. It was on the tip of his tongue. He wanted nothing more than to get out of here and let Nico and Leo sort everything out. But he couldn’t. There was no way he was going to leave Nico in here.

“I’m fine. I’ll, uh, stay here, though. If you need me, just holler.”

Nico nodded and slung his backpack onto the floor, and began rummaging through it. Will watched him shift through his things, taking things out and putting them back in as he found what he wanted. It looked like a TM Case. Nico strapped his backpack on and held out the TM to Will.

“Here. I bought it back at the PokéMart this morning. I figured it might be dark in the basement, but I can’t really use it now if the Durant are attracted to light. That, and I don’t really have a Pokémon that can learn it. Stupid me, huh?” Nico shook his head, looking a bit embarrassed.

Will took the TM, not sure what the move was. “Thanks, but what is it?”

“Oh, right. It’s Flash. I think you’ll be better off with it, right? I know we’re not supposed to have any lights on in here, but … you should use it. You’ll feel safer.”

Will took the TM, feeling overwhelmingly gracious. He felt his face heat up as he murmured a quick “thank you”. Nico nodded and left with Cubone into the room Leo was at. He gave the room another look before heading down the stairs, where Will could only assume was where the basement was.

Will stood in the dark for a while, flipping the TM is his hands. He didn’t feel particularly scared or anxious, which was new to him. Instead, he felt a warm rush of positivity, created by the considerate gift in his hands. Igglybuff poked at Will’s ankles, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Igglybuff!” The Pokémon pointed at a couple of wooden chairs to their left.

“Right. Let’s teach you this new move.” Will hurried over to the chairs and took out his Battle Monitor. He swore that the shadows over by the corner of the room were starting to overcome the fuzzy feelings.

Will turned on the Monitor and put the TM into the slot on the side of the device. The Monitor started to load up a program. The screen read:

_Technical Machine Teacher TM_

_Olympia Technology Program_

After a few seconds, a whole interface opened, asking for Will to select a Pokémon. The only one in his party was Igglybuff, so he selected the Pokémon. Loading a bit more, the interface displayed a model of an Igglybuff on the right, and multiple empty windows on the right. At the bottom of the screen, a notice flashed on the screen:

_Please show your Pokémon the screen._

Followed by an “Okay” option. Will pressed it and handed to Monitor to Igglybuff, who held it as best it could with one of its stubby hands. For the most part, Will held the Monitor for Igglybuff, seeing as the screen was too close to the Pokémon.

The program began to function, displaying various pieces of data that ran from left to right on the windows next to the model. Igglybuff seemed intent on whatever the data was conveying, looking like it was taking in the information. It was always weird to Will, how much Pokémon could interact with technology. The first instance was wrapping his head around how PokéBalls worked, turning Pokémon into digital data stored inside the capsules. Then there was TMs, which was happening now.

As Igglybuff looked onto the screen, its eyes turned from their natural brown into a dull blue color. It looked like a trance to Will. On-screen, the Igglybuff model began to become animated, using Flash in various ways. It stretched its hands outwards, pushed down as if being pressed like a button, and scrunching its body as small as it could.

The data on the windows eventually stopped, and Igglybuff’s eyes returned to its normal color. The screen brought up a notice, saying:

_TM process complete. Please close the application._

Igglybuff hopped around between the chairs, apparently overjoyed from the experience. Will closed the application and turned his Battle Monitor off before turning his attention back to the Pokémon.

“Well, buddy? How’d it go?”

“Buff!” Igglybuff landed next to Will, and pulled on the tuft on its head, like yanking on a lamp’s chain. Igglybuff glowed a soft shade of pink, illuminating the room pretty well. Will couldn’t help but laugh; Igglybuff was like a glow-in-the-dark marshmallow. Igglybuff continued to show off, raising its arms high. That caused it to glow even brighter, to the point that it was almost blinding. When Igglybuff squatted into a deflated position, the glow would lessen, to the point where the light barely illuminated a few inches from Igglybuff.

“That’s so cool, Iggs!” Will patted the Pokémon on its head, feeling at ease. The Pokémon shared Will’s feelings, and together the pair sat in comfortable silence. _‘This isn’t so bad,’_ Will thought. He’d have to thank Nico later. It was a wonder he hadn’t had the forethought to look into teaching Flash to Igglybuff sooner.

Will closed his eyes, laying his head back against the wall. He decided to settle down for a while, but was still intent on listening for any sounds that might be Nico or Leo in trouble. He didn’t hear anything, and Will couldn’t decide if that was good or bad.

As Igglybuff played with its new move, changing the brightness of its body, Will heard hurried footsteps and noise off in the distance. It wasn’t from the basement, though. It was coming through the double doors leading further into the Gym. _‘They can’t have gone in there, could they? Unless they’re being chased or something…’_

Will got up and strapped his bag back on. It wasn’t really part of the plan to go into the actual Gym, but if something had gone wrong, then there wasn’t really a choice. Will cracked open one of the doors and peered into the room. He couldn’t see much, only the celestial bronze tubes that ran across the floor and walls. “Nico? Leo?” Will waited for a response, but was just met with the echo of his own voice, followed by deafening silence.

Will closed the door and leaned against it. On one hand, it could have been just him imagining the noise, but on the other hand, it could have been Nico and Leo. Injured, or being chased, or something like that. There was also the possibility of it having been a Durant, which Will wasn’t too keen on.

His brain came to the conclusion of two choices: go in, or stay put. There were obvious pros and cons to both. If it wasn’t Nico, then Will would be leaving him in a compromising situation if he was actually still in the basement. On the other hand, Nico could be lost inside the building.

_‘I’m probably not thinking straight … but what_ if!’

Will felt frustrated, knowing that against all reason, the possibilities were zero. But the ‘if’ was killing him. Finally making up his mind, he called to Igglybuff.

“C’mon, Igglybuff. Let’s just check this out real quick.”

Will held Igglybuff firmly in his arms and opened the door. Igglybuff illuminated the room a bit more, and Will could see more clearly. The room was huge, and probably made up most of the building. Looking up, Will saw a maze of catwalks, suspended by chains and ropes. There were at least two levels of catwalks, but if the building’s height said anything, it was that there were probably several more stories-worth above.

Will walked slowly, looking only where Igglybuff’s light could shine. He didn’t want Igglybuff to glow too brightly, just in case a rampaging Durant was out there. All around him, different kinds of machines littered the place. From old timey contraptions to what looked like half a care, the room looked less like a power-generating factory and more like a junkyard for old crap. The weird silhouettes weren’t exactly helping Will’s case, either.

Will stumbled upon what he assumed was the Gym’s challenger field. The white lines marked out the square playing field, with a PokéBall design in the middle. There were a few more things, but Will wasn’t too interested. He continued on his way until he reached the other end of the room. There wasn’t much else, except for a ladder to go up the catwalks. Figuring that Nico or Leo wouldn’t climb up there if they were in trouble, Will decided it was time to head back. Whatever that noise was, it wasn’t something Will was concerned for.

He turned around to leave, ready to get out of the Gym. “Looks like it was nothing Iggs.”

Suddenly, a sharp and loud _‘CLANG’_ reverberated all across the room. Will jumped and panicked, and quickly hid against a generator by the wall. He tugged on Igglybuff’s tuft, which made the Pokémon stop its glow.

The silence that followed was killing Will. For a few minutes, he could hear nothing but the beat of his heart. Igglybuff let out a quiet “Buff …”, but didn’t move. Faintly, Will started to hear the footsteps and chatter of someone a bit far away. Will considered coming out and seeing who it was, but most of him felt like it was a bad idea.

Instead, he waited, holding his breath. The footsteps and talking were coming closer. It sounded like two people. A woman and a man, by the sound of it. Will strained his hearing, trying to make sense of the noise. Faintly, he started to make out the conversation.

“– at are we doing here, anyway. Coulda gone through the hallway. There’s nothing but _junk_ here.”

“Can it. I think I heard something.”

“Yeah, us. Honestly, the only person coming into this place is that idiot kid. Heh. Kinda surprised he hasn’t called daddy to help him yet.”

“I said shut _up_! There’s someone _here._ ”

“Oh, come off it. It’s prolly a rogue bug from downstairs.”

The woman let out a frustrated sigh. “This is why we’re grunts, you useless can of worms. ‘Cus you don’t know when to _knock it off!_ ”

“Alright, calm down.”

The footsteps got closer, and light from a flashlight shined against the wall. Will calculated that they were probably a few yards away; Will stayed as still and quiet as he could. The steps were louder and louder, until the flashlight’s source looked close. Igglybuff seemed to understand the situation, because it was quiet too.

The flashlight was about to round the corner of the generator when the man called out. “’Ey, boss is this way.”

The woman, who must have been holding the flashlight, stopped inches from turning the corner. She paused briefly before following her cohort into another room on the other side of the generator.

After hearing them walk off, Will sighed in relief. He had no idea who they were, but they sounded villainous. Malicious, even. Will got up and took a breather, loosening his grip on Igglybuff. The puff ball looked stressed, which was what Will probably looked like.

“Let’s get out of here, Buff,” Will whispered. The Pokémon nodded in agreement, and used Flash on a low brightness.

They were quick to make it out of the room.

Opening the door to the lobby, Will was surprised to find Nico and Leo waiting, with Cubone and an enormous Charizard. Will was taken aback by the lizard at first, but didn’t have the time to take it in.

“Where the hell did you run off to?” Nico exclaimed, looking tired. His clothes were singed in various places, and he had a few scars, but other than that he looked fine.

“I thought I heard you guys in there,” Will pointed to the double doors. “I went to look.”

“Are you okay? You look shaken.” Nico gave him a concerned look, but Will just shrugged.

“Oh you know. Darkness isn’t my thing … Did you guys get rid of the Durant?”

Leo nodded his head before shaking it and looking confused. “Uh, not really? I think? They just sort of snapped out of it. Like, one minute they were their angry selves, and the next, they looked like they came to their senses and made a run for the hole they came out of. I’m not sure what happened.”

“It was weird,” Nico admitted. “They looked confused when it happened. Like they were stuck in a trance.”

Leo sighed. “Anyway, at least they’re gone. I think it’ll take a day before the staff and everything are back to normal. So you’re welcome to challenge the day after tomorrow.”

Nico nodded. “I think I’m going to need a day off.”

Will agreed, but only half-heartedly. He was more preoccupied with the strangers inside. He wasn’t quite ready to tell Leo and Nico, yet. It felt like it could wait. The woman had called her partner and herself a grunt. And they knew about the Durant. Somehow, the two were connected, in Will’s mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It isn't a Pokemon story if there isn't an antagonist, right?
> 
> I had trouble writing this part, so sorry for any awkward dents and bruises. I need sleep and it's only the first month of college! ouo  
> I think it's equal parts work and irresponsible late-night video binging. Maybe.
> 
> Cheers!


	11. Free Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *slams tea mug against table* After writing two research papers, creative writing is hard. What do words.

Nico didn’t care how late it was. He wanted nothing more than to sleep until the sun was setting. Even when he had woken up in the morning, he just went back to sleep, pulling the covers up to block out the sunlight. He woke up one more time after that, to the sounds of stuff being moved around in the room, before knocking out again. When he finally came around a third time, he decided it was probably best to get up.

Nico’s awareness to his surroundings weren’t kicking in until he sat up, when he realized just how sore he was. His whole body felt worn and exhausted from the scuffle in the Gym basement. Trying not to get bitten by angry ants was more intense than he had hoped. Nico looked around the room lazily, sighing. Cubone was sleeping deeply in the Pokémon bed in the corner of the room. That was a given. Cubone had put in double-time down there. If Nico felt as tired and worn as he did, he couldn’t begin to imagine how Cubone was feeling.

Sitting on the chair was Igglybuff, chewing and drooling on a big, pink jawbreaker candy that had a smiling Jigglypuff pattern on it. The Pokémon had an empty stare. Nico just stared blankly at Igglybuff; he was too tired for this. At this point in the journey, Nico had just come to accept the Pokémon as his reality. There was no other way around it.

Nico flung the covers over and sat on the edge of the bed. The clock on the bed side drawer read 11:30 AM. That seemed about right. Nico closed his eyes and breathed in, feeling pleasantly comforted that the day would involve no traveling, no battles, and no hijinks. Just a normal, catch-up-on-rest day.

The door opened, and Nico turned to see Will standing in the doorway. He had a drawstring bag that was full in his hands.

“Oh, you’re awake! You’ve been passed out all morning,” Will said, walking into the room and closing the door behind him.

“Yeah, but I could probably go for another 8 hours, though.” Nico stretched his arms and sighed. Will stared at him before quickly averting his eyes, looking slightly flushed. _‘Oh, whoops. Privacy. Right.’_  Nico pulled the covers back and sat up on his bed, crossing his legs.

Will tossed him the bag. “I did laundry. Figured you weren’t carrying a magical supply of infinite clothes.” He picked Igglybuff up from its spot and sat down on the chair, taking out his Monitor and busying himself with it. He seemed pretty focused on looking down at the screen and not up from it. “By the way, you know clothes come in more colors than black,” he teased.

“Solace, I don’t _do_ colors. They’re tacky.” Nico pulled out a pair of jeans, which were fading around the knees part, but otherwise still a respectable color of black.

“ _You’re_ tacky.”

“My jacket’s brown. That’s color enough.”

Will grinned. “Oh, watch out. Captain Rainbow’s got some brown in his otherwise dull wardrobe.”

“Fight me, Solace.”

“I would, but it wouldn’t be fair. I’m too strong.”

Nico quickly pulled on his jeans and grabbed a shirt from the bag, feeling his stomach grumble. “Sure, whatever. Just let me eat. I could eat a Wailord.”

Will clicked his Monitor off, sitting up. “Let’s not do that. There’s a billion places with food outside that doesn’t involve murder. Just hurry up.”

Nico finished getting dressed in record time, and grabbed his bag before going to wake Cubone. Just as he was about to, though, he stopped. “Wait. All food involves murder, though.”

Will sighed. “It’s a figure of speech!”

 

~

 

The day was unusually chilly, all things considered. Back in the route leading up to the town, Nico and Will walked on the path leading into the forest.  With nothing to do that day, Will suggested getting out of the city.  As impressive as it all was, the city was loud and dizzying, something neither of the two we're used to. 

Out in the open field, Nico felt a weird sensation from the lack of noise; he hadn't even realized how loud it was in the city until he left it. The "quietness" in-town was loud compared to out in the field. 

"You know, this is nice," Will said as they walked past the metal antennae-tree. "I don't think there's been a single day of relaxation since last week."

Nico silently agreed, and wanted to enjoy it.  He had a feeling days like these were going to be far and few between.

They settled down a good distance away from the huge fan, where a crowd of Jumpluffs and Hoppip were hopping around. They sat there in silence for a while, everyone enjoying the peace in different ways.

After what must have been ten minutes, Will spoke up.  "Hey, Nico.”

"Hm?"

"How did it go down there, in the basement?"

"Oh, right." Nico had intentionally not gone into specifics the day before. There wasn't any reason to worry Will or freak him out any more than he already had been. He had looked like he had gone through hell when he came out of those doors.

Nico thought about his words before he said them. "Well ... it went fine. You saw Leo's Pokémon. A huge Charizard. We were fine."

"No, I mean, like, what exactly happened?”

Nico sighed. He mulled the words over and went through the experience in his head. “We went down there. It was a few flight of stairs. Past a set of doors, we went into a really big, pitch-black room. The only light was from the machines melting the bronze stuff.” Nico took a pause, making sure Will was following along. He was looking with at Nico, listening intently.

Shifting in his spot, Nico continued. “The whole hoard was surrounding the bronze supply, fighting each other over it. I don’t know how many of them there were. Maybe forty. Anyway, Leo sent out his Charizard, which got the attention of the Durant. They sort of rushed at us all at once. We kept battling them until they stopped and ran away.”

That was only partially true. The second Leo had sent out his Charizard, the Durant turned and charged in a frenzy. They had moved with amazing speed, skittering along the floor, walls, and ceiling. Almost immediately, they were being pounced on from every direction. Nico had to duck, sidestep, and barrel out of the way every few seconds as he gave out orders to Cubone, who was having the same trouble. Leo’s Charizard was keeping them at bay with its fierce flames, but only barely. The Durant seemed to have little to no self-preservation instinct at all.

Nico was feeling overwhelmed by the time the Durant retreated into their hole. Even Leo, who had gone in alone before, had noted that they were particularly fierce that time. It left Nico wondering why the Pokémon left the way they did.

“But anyway, what about you? Anything happen while we were gone?”

Will nodded. “Yeah, actually – “

Will was interrupted from whatever he was going to say by a crowd of Jumpluff, which toppled him over into the grass. They were all shouting “Jumpluff! Jump!” over and over. Igglybuff quickly stood up and hopped into the fray, grabbing onto a Pokémon and tugging on its cotton ball angrily.  Nico was halfway done getting up when the Jumpluff jumped off Will, leaving him looking disorientated and covered in cotton from head to toe.

Will brushed off his sweater and shaking his head. “What the – “

The Jumpluff group, standing a few feet away, started hopping towards Will again, making noises, before walking back and repeating. Nico stood up, looking at the Pokémon. They didn’t look all that dangerous, and they hadn’t exactly done anything to Will other than tackle him down. Will shook his clothes in an effort to get the Jumpluffs’ tufts of cotton off. “What’s their problem?”

Nico shrugged. Igglybuff was pouting, scowling at the Jumpluff and making angry gestures with its stubs. The Jumpluff didn’t look like they were leaving any time soon. Looking more intently, Nico noticed the Pokémon seemed desperate to get their attention. “I think they want something.”

Will stood up, still trying to get the cotton off. “Yeah, well, they already took a slice of my dignity.” Will looked around the field, before he pointed at the fan. “There’s a bunch of Jumpluff and Skiploom over there, too.” The Jumpluff hopped in agreement, which Nico took as a sign that that’s what they wanted.

Nico sighed. “Guess that’s where we’re going.”

As they walked in the direction of the other group of Pokémon, the original assailant Jumpluff followed closely behind. Will stopped every few feet, either to get cotton out of his shoe or trying to brush off his back. Nico wasn’t too ecstatic about figuring out what the Pokémon wanted, but wasn’t too keen on being the victim of cotton balls of fury, so he kept walking. Cubone looked like it was on the same page.

When they reached the gathering of Pokémon, the Jumpluff that was following them skipped ahead and joined the main group. Nico kept his distance, in case another assault happened. But Will kept walking toward the group, stopping close by. “Okay, what is it that you little guys want,” Will said, kneeling down. The Jumpluffs and Skiplooms all stepped aside, revealing a single Hoppip, laying on the ground.

“Oh.” Will reached out to the Pokémon, concern on his face. Nico came closer, trying to get a better view. The Hoppip looked ill. The happy look that was typical for Hoppips and its evolutions was replaced by a tired look. Its breathing was shallow, from what Nico could tell, and the propeller-like leaves swindle barely spun.

Nico watched as Will felt the Pokémon’s forehead, checking for something. Will reached into his sweater pocket, pulling out a pouch. “Iggs,” Will motioned to Igglybuff.

Igglybuff hopped next to Will, observing the Hoppip. The puffball began to sing a melodic tune, alternating between humming and singing parts of its own name. The effect was immediate, and it had was the same as it had had days before. A relaxing wave flowed over Nico and down his back, giving him tingles. The Pokémon huddled around Will were being affected by the tune, too. Soothing and mellow, Igglybuff’s song had a therapeutic effect.

When Igglybuff finished its song, the Hoppip looked better. While it still looked exhausted, it had perked up a little. Will muttered something that Nico didn’t catch, and pulled out materials from the pouch.

It was weird to Nico, but not in the typical sense. He hadn’t really seen Will or Igglybuff in this kind of situation before. Igglybuff was unusually methodical, with a determined look on its face. When the pair was done, the Hoppip had significantly perked up. Will had applied a few bandages in a couple places where Nico assumed had been injured. One of the leaves on its head was wrapped in gauze, securing it firmly, letting the Hoppip spin them with more confidence.

“I’m not really sure what happened,” Will said as he leaned back and observed the Hoppip. “A few bruises and injuries, and a really injured leaf. The main thing is that it’s really exhausted. Like it was flying for a long time. I’m gonna guess it got picked up by a harsh wind and crashed into a tree.” Igglybuff rummaged through Will’s bag, taking out a sticker. Igglybuff hopped over to the Hoppip and happily stuck the sticker onto the Hoppip’s forehead, then proceeded to pat the Pokémon.

Nico looked questioningly at Will, who shrugged. “Don’t look at me. I didn’t pack those.” Will got up and brushed his knees off and pulling a piece of Jumpluff cotton out of his sock. “Well, I think we’re done here. Should we head back?”

“I mean, we’ve only been here a little while, but if that’s what you want.”

“I kind of want to get rid of all this cotton.”

“There’s no way you’ve still got that stuff on you, Solace.” Nico watched as Will pulled out another tuft from his hood.

“Let’s just go back.” Will turned to the Jumpluffs, Skiploom, and Hoppip. “Just give me a minute. I’m going to see these little guys off.”

Nico got a head start, with Cubone next to him. “We’ve got a big day tomorrow, Cubone. That Charizard is no joke.” Cubone nodded in agreement, and Nico started to think about how the following day might go. _‘I should probably get Murkrow out more_.’

Nico took out Murkrow’s PokéBall, and sent the Pokémon out. Murkrow flew out and circled ahead, happy to be out. Nico checked behind him to see if Will was coming, and saw that Will was starting to say his goodbyes to the wild Pokémon.

It was nice, in a way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This week's chapter was short, for reasons mentioned in the beginning chapter notes. I know the chapter is rushed and all, so apologies. So! No new chapter next week, so I can have some wiggle room and write the Gym Battle chapter with the attention all Gym Battle chapters deserve!
> 
> There's probably a better way to communicate these things, but ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> ~~October's around the corner guys you know what that means a super Halloween special chapter~~
> 
> Cheers!


	12. Gym Battle: Leo

“Welcome to the Lavarge Gym!! Step forth, challenger!”

Leo burst through the double doors enthusiastically, pointing at Nico with flare. Will and Igglybuff stumbled back in surprise, almost getting hit by the door as Leo charged through; Will wasn’t exactly expecting Leo to jump them as they were about to enter the Gym. The day had come to challenge the Lavarge City Gym, and Will was feeling confident Nico would ace the battle ahead. Nico had gone over strategy the previous night with Cubone and Murkrow while, so they already had more prep than the last Gym. Although there hadn’t been much training in between, unless Will counted the forest of trainers on their way to town.

Will let out a huff, desperate for a cool room. The day was abnormally scorching, especially considering the weather was timid at best the past few days. “Leo, can we do the fanfare inside, please? We’re burning.”

“What? Oh, right. Follow me!” Leo jumped ahead and opened the doors, holding them for Nico, Will, and their Pokémon to come in. “By the way, isn’t it kinda hot for black today?”

Will stepped into the room and sighed in relief, listening as Nico said, “It’s not that hot. It’s manageable.”

“Whatever floats your boat, dude.”

Leo led them into the room that had Will had wandered into the two days before. Now that it was brightly lit, Will could see that the room was enormously tall and stuffed to the brim with junk. Chunks of cars, engines, turbines, even the hull of an airplane hung from suspenders off to the side. The walls had indents every few meters leading into holes in the ground covered by grates.

Up ahead, Will could see the challenger’s field, where Leo was jogging to his side. The guy was super energetic for the battle ahead, it seemed. Leo pivoted on his heels and pointed to Will’s right, to a mechanical lift attached to rails along the wall. “That’s the spectator area. Go on up!”

Will looked to Nico, who nodded. Will gave him a thumbs up, saying “Don’t worry. You’re going to do great!”

Will took Igglybuff into his arms and headed towards the lift. As he stepped inside, the thing creaked and groaned. “Uh, are you sure this thing is safe?”

“Of course it is! C’mon, give me some credit. Safe as can be.”

Will took a few more steps and settled in the middle tentatively. The lift suddenly rumbled before sky-rocketing violently upwards, and abruptly stopping after a few seconds. Will panicked and almost lost his balance, grabbing onto the railing tightly. He looked down, he felt dizzy. It wasn’t so much that he was easily thirty or forty feet in the air. It was more that the lift reacted to his every movement, leaning with his weight and creaking every time.

Finally finding his balance, Will gripped the railing as he saw down on the battlefield. It was a good view, and he could see from one end of the room to another.

He could see as Nico and Cubone stood on the challenger’s side, ready to start the battle. Leo on the other side, Leo rolled up his sleeves, and started to talk. “So, ground rules. The challenger has a three Pokémon limit, but I’ll be using two. No items. The battle isn’t limited to the field; the whole room’s free game, so feel free to use the environment as part of your strategy. Alright, let’s go!” A projector flittered to life somewhere above Will, and it created a screen on the wall opposite of him, displaying “CHALLENGER” and “DEFENDER”, with empty bars where the participating Pokémon would go.

Leo tossed out the PokéBall onto the field, and in a flash of red light, the Pokémon appeared. As the light faded away, Will saw that Leo’s first Pokémon was a Magnemite. _‘Wait, isn’t this a Fire-type Gym? What?’_

Nico must have had the same reaction, because he said, “Shouldn’t all your Pokémon all suppose to be Fire-type? That’s how Gyms work, right?”

Leo shrugged and crossed his arms. “The League changed it up a bit. It’s more fun this way, don’t you think?”

Will supposed that the League’s decision to change the rules probably came with the change of Leaders. But it was surprising how this was the first time he had heard about this. Listening to the news once in a while would have been nice.

Nico looked like he was contemplating something, and after a bit of thought, he took out Murkrow’s PokéBall, sending it out to the battlefield. Will had to wonder why, because Murkrow was at a type disadvantage. A few Electric-type attacks by Magnemite and Nico would be one Pokémon down. And he had to wonder if the challenger having a three to one advantage was any kind of hint towards the power of Leo’s Charizard. But he had to trust that Nico was making the right calls.

 

 

If there could be any more stress before a battle, Nico was definitely feeling it now. He felt silly for not taking the day before to train, and to go over new strategies or moves with his Pokémon. The last minute midnight planning wasn’t enough. But he was here now, and he had to focus. He looked to the projection on the wall, which had updated to show two PokéBalls and Magnemite’s health on the “Defender” side and Murkrow’s health on the “Challenger” side.

Leo looked fairly confident. Happy, even. The Gym Leader called out to Nico, “Challenger gets the first move! Let’s go!”

Murkrow hopped forward, eager to start. Even if Nico didn’t know the bird Pokémon as well as he did Cubone, he could already tell its battling spirit was just as great.  “Okay, Murkrow, use Haze!”

The Pokémon took off into the air and flapped its wings, creating gusts of thick smoke that settled over the field. Murkrow flew out of sight after the move, taking cover. It was harder to see through the haze, and Nico hoped that they would be able to use it to their advantage.

“Ah, the good ol’ sneak game, nice!” Leo clapped his hands together. “Magnemite, keep your guard up.”

The Magnemite whirred and buzzed in response, its magnet sides spinning and creating sparks. It floated cautiously from one side to the other, scanning its surroundings. The field was silent, except for the mechanical sounds of the screws on Magnemite. Nico saw Murkrow pop its head out from over a pile of scrap on the far end of the field, behind Magnemite and to Leo’s side.

Nico made eye contact with Murkrow and nodded, letting the Pokémon know to get closer. The haze was clearing, and they would need to get the jump on Magnemite soon. The Pokémon hopped silently down from the scrap and landed on the ground closer to the opponent.

“Murkrow, now! Pursuit!”

Murkrow’s beak glowed a bright red and the Pokémon lunged at the Magnemite swiftly. The Magnemite turned in Murkrow’s direction before getting slammed by the attack, knocking it off balance. Leo snapped his fingers, calling out, “Magnemite, Sunny Day!”

Leo’s Pokémon regained its posture, and its screws whirred furiously as it gradually started to glow bright orange. Nico took the opportunity to try and get another attack quickly. “Tackle, Murkrow, before it finishes!”

Murkrow took to the air again, before nosediving straight at Magnemite. The Steel-type was getting brighter and brighter, turning a white-hot color. Nico could feel heat coming from it. “Murkrow, wait!”

Murkrow had little time to react, though, and its attack made contact with Magnemite. The Pokémon squawked in surprise, its feathers smoking a bit, but otherwise fine. Magnemite was thrown backwards slightly, but the attack didn’t seem to faze it. Its glowing form shot up a burning ball of light up above the arena, acting like a small sun. The haze faded away instantly, and the room suddenly became sweltering hot and bright.

“Alright, Magnemite! Now use Magnet Bomb!”

Magnemite’s sides glowed blue and created sparks of electricity, causing metallic scraps from around the arena to spark as well. The pieces melded together into balls of metal, and started to glow blue. That wasn’t good. “Murkrow, take cover behind all this junk. Dodge and weave!”

Murkrow took flight after a slight hesitation, still being put off by being seared from the previous attack. It flew behind the pile it had come from in the first attack. Magnemite launched the metal spheres, which circled rapidly around the ball of light in the middle of the arena. Magnemite scanned the area, before locking its eye onto the pile where Murkrow was hidden. Its eye turned a bright blue, letting out a “MAGNEMITE.”

“Murkrow, get out of there!”

The metal projectiles suddenly blasted towards the heap, and Murkrow flew out just in time before the projectiles crashed through. Murkrow flew high into the air, with Magnemite’s attack in close pursuit. The Pokémon flew into the maze of catwalks, flying around and through them. Even if Murkrow’s acrobatics were incredible, the metal projectiles did, too, and they were gaining on their target.

If it couldn’t get worse, Leo gave Magnemite its next command. “Give them some pressure, Magnemite. Shoot some Signal Beams!”

Nico could tell Murkrow was getting exhausted, and it wouldn’t hold up much longer. Somehow, Murkrow was able to not only keep ahead of Magnet Bomb, but it was dodging Signal Beams left and right. They needed an opening, and fast.

Nico couldn’t think though. The heat was getting to him, and the pressure was too much. He was sweating profusely, and his brain was muddled. Nico wiped his forehead and looked anywhere for an idea. For a split second, he saw Will and Igglybuff, both with intense expressions up in the stands, but he quickly looked back to Murkrow. No distractions.

_‘Magnet Bomb … the projectiles are fast. There’s no way Murkrow can lose them …_ ’

Magnemite was effortlessly firing Signal Beams at Murkrow, but it was completely stationary. It seemed more focus on shooting its target and keeping the metal projectiles afloat and on-target, it looked unprepared for sudden movements.

_‘So that means …’_

“Murkrow, dive downwards at Magnemite, use Tackle again!”

The bird Pokémon responded with a squawk before making a U-turn and diving down at Magnemite. Now directly headed directly towards the opponent, Murkrow was an easier target for Magnemite. It shot Signal Beams at Murkrow in quicker succession, each narrowly missing as Murkrow swerved slightly to avoid them.

 A Signal Beam hit its mark as Murkrow sped towards Magnemite, clipping Murkrow on the wing, taking a chunk of Murkrow’s health off. The Pokémon persisted, though, and it tucked its wings in to gain speed. The Pokémon was seconds away from making contact, and Magnet Bomb was dangerously close behind.

“Now, go under!”

Murkrow seemed to have understood Nico’s intentions from the start, because it reacted immediately, ducking under Magnemite and brushing by before pulling up before hitting the ground. The action duped the metal projectiles, and they slammed into Magnemite with force, knocking the Pokémon down to a sliver of health.

The Pokémon hit the ground hard, along with the now uncontrolled metal spheres.

Without giving the chance for Leo to issue another command, Nico followed the opportunity up with another attack. “Murkrow, one more Pursuit!”

Murkrow flew once again into Magnemite, hitting it with a Pursuit attack, knocking the last bit of health off.

Magnemite rolled dizzily on the floor, having fainted. Murkrow landed close to Nico, its breathe ragged and tired. The Monitor showed Murkrow with a fourth of its health left, but its energy was off worse. The heat and the intense flying were too much.

Leo called Magnemite back, wiping the hair that was stuck to his forehead away. “That was awesome! Let’s see what else you got, Nico!”

Leo lifted his next PokéBall up, but Nico held up his hands in a moment of impulse. “Wait, wait. I, uh, I want to let Murkrow rest. He did very well. I want to use my next Pokémon.”

Leo raised in eyebrow. “Oh? You won’t be able to use Murkrow again during the match. It’ll be as if it was KO’d during the fight.”

Murkrow looked back at Nico quizzically, yet tiredly. Nico’s decision was made. It was only fair to Murkrow. “I know. Murkrow deserves a rest.”

Nico looked up to the lift, where Will and Igglybuff were. Will looked surprised, but reassuring, and Igglybuff simply waved.

Recalling Murkrow back into its PokéBall, Nico watched as Cubone made its way onto the field. Leo seemed to be thinking as he observed Cubone and Nico. Maybe judging them, but Nico didn’t care. Perhaps it was a careless move, but Murkrow put in double time during that battle. It wouldn’t have been fair for it to continue to battle, where it would eventually get exhausted even more.

Leo tossed his PokéBall back and forth in his hands and said, “This battle is pretty intense! Let’s move on to part two!” Leo tossed out his PokéBall, and it shined in a flash of red light, immediately followed by an explosion of smoke.

To Nico’s surprise, the arena started to shake, and the battlefield started to crack and rumble. Openings in the walls appeared, and lava – or molten celestial bronze, Nico wasn’t sure – began to pour out of them, falling into the grate-covered holes in the floor. Out of the cracks, the same molten liquid started to erupt out. As the smoke from Leo’s PokéBall faded, his Charizard emerged, letting out a ferocious roar that resonated throughout the whole room.

If it was hot before, it was infernal now. The remnant of Magnemite’s Sunny Day wasn’t helping things, either.

On the defender’s side of the field, Charizard stood menacingly. Leo pumped his hand into the air, shouting, “Man, I love this part!” Leo gestured to Nico in a polite manner. “Maestro, if you will. You get the first attack.”

For a second, Nico was at a loss for words. This was nothing like Hestia’s challenge. He had no idea what to expect from this battle. Steeling himself, Nico analyzed the situation. They would again need to rely on evasion tactics. Cubone was small and nimble, and they would use the environment to get out of bad situations.

“Okay, Cubone. Let’s test the waters here. Go for a Bone Rush.”

Cubone launched its attack on the Charizard, but the giant lizard simply covered its body with its wings. The move bounced off harmlessly, and based off of the monitor, it did about 2 health points of damage. Not great.

“Charizard, Dragon Claw, go!”

Charizard growled, its claws glowing green and creating a projection that extended over its claws, doubling the length. It lunged forward using its wings to propel itself straight towards Cubone.

“Cubone, Bone Club...!”

Cubone held its stance, waiting for Charizard to attack. As the Fire-type lunged at Cubone, Cubone jumped up and dodged, following up with a sharp smack against Charizard’s skull. Charizard roared and flew into the sky, angered. The exchange has landed Cubone a few health points off of the opponent Pokémon’s health, but not much. _‘What else is new,’_ Nico thought.

“Flame Burst, quick succession, Charizard!”

“Cubone, run!”

Charizard’s mouth lit up as it prepped its flame. It flew in circles around the ball of light, still burning harshly in the center of the battlefield. An orange aura formed shot out from the miniature sun and enveloped Charizard, making the flames on its tail and the flames emitting from its mouth grow brighter and wilder.

Cubone took this as a cue to start dodging, and Charizard pursued, firing volley after volley of fireballs, their power amplified by Sunny Day’s effects. Cubone sidestepped and hopped out of the way of four projectiles, and the next one narrowly missed. The Pokémon leapt forward and spun around mid-jump, throwing its bone at Charizard. The bone missed, and as a result Charizard retaliated with a direct hit on Cubone.

“Cubone!”

Nico glanced over at the stats screen. The attack took out a considerable amount, leaving Cubone with three-fifths of its health. Cubone shook its head and got up, brushing itself off. Charizard landed a few feet away, blowing smoke through its nostrils. Sunny Day’s effect was starting to fade, and the mini-sun in the middle of the field started to flicker and fade. That was an opportunity for Nico; they just needed to stall out a little longer in order to even out the odds.

It seemed like Leo wasn’t about to give him that break, though. “Charizard, use Hone Claws and sharpen those bad boys up!”

Charizard’s claws glistened as the Pokémon sharpened them against each other, before Charizard took a step forward.

Nico was about to issue a command to Cubone, when he noticed that Cubone had started to radiate the slightest amount of red. Whether it was from the heat or from being struck from the flame, Nico didn’t know. Regardless, they needed to finish the battle.

“Cubone – “

The Pokémon looked back at Nico, its expression deathly serious and rugged. Cubone didn’t want to run, it wanted to fight. With not much else planned, Nico nodded. “Don’t let up the pressure. Use Headbutt and Bone Club.”

Cubone turned back towards Charizard, gripping its bone tightly. Nico couldn’t truthfully remember any of the commands he gave Cubone. It all blurred into a blur of events which he would remember only scarcely later.

Cubone hopped around Charizard, dodging the Fire-types swipes and lunges. Charizard scored a hit using its tail, and Cubone was knocked backward. The Pokémon growled as it got back on its feet, and the red aura burned even brighter. Dashing at Charizard, Cubone threw its bone, using it as a distraction; a brutal Headbutt to Charizard’s body made the lizard stumble backward. In a second, Charizard retaliated with a burning Flamethrower, and Nico was sure that Cubone would give out. But as Cubone was enveloped by flames, the aura surrounding it flared up explosively. Charizard stopped its attack in surprise, giving Cubone the opportunity to launch itself forward and deliver a Bone Club attack. The attack made Charizard tumble backwards, struggling to find its balance. The projector displayed Charizard’s health as zero.

Charizard stumbled backwards, before falling forward, inches from Cubone, with a rattle that shook the scrap piles around the room.

Leo recalled Charizard back into its PokéBall, and the streams of molten liquid died out. The only thing Nico could hear was his own heart beating ridiculously quickly and the ringing in his ears he didn’t even realize was there until now.

Cubone was breathing heavily, and the red aura dissipated quickly.

Leo broke the silence first by whistling in awe. “Damn, that is a pretty impressive Rage attack you’ve got there. That was epic.”

Nico breathed in deeply, wiping his forehead and slumping his shoulders. He jogged forward and knelt down, patting Cubone on the head. Behind him, Will and Igglybuff got off the lift, which had come down.

Will knelt down besides Nico and offered him a bottle of water. “That was incredible! I didn’t know Cubone knew Rage.”

Turning the top off of the water, Nico replied, “I didn’t, either. Must’ve learned it mid-battle.”

Without missing a beat, Leo clapped his hands together. “Well! Let’s talk prizes and stuff. Follow me, guys.” He walked backwards, pointing at a door off at the end of the room behind him. “There’s AC in there.”

Sighing, Nico got back on his feet. AC sounded like heaven. He was done with fire and heat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Has it ever happened to you where you're really enthralled in doing something and you forget to save it, and you've been working on it for so long but then your computer decides to update without asking first and you lose a big portion of what you were doing. It sucks.
> 
> Up next: Upgrades and a clingy pal!


	13. Upgrades and Improvements

Air conditioned rooms had never felt so good. Neither did normal temperature rooms, but that was beside the point. All there was to do now was change out of the damp clothes he had on, and Will would be set. But first, they’d have to listen to a speech by Leo, which was probably long and wisdom-granting like Hestia’s had been.

Leo led them through a corridor that turned right before ending at a door. Will and Igglybuff trudged along, but Nico and Cubone seemed to be holding it together. They weren’t dragging their feet at least. How, though, was a complete mystery to Will. They were the ones who had just finished a Gym challenge in a room that might as well have been the sun.

Finally reaching the end of the hallway, Leo pushed open the door, leading into what Will presumed was the Gym Leader office. It looked radically different from what Will had been expecting, though. He found it kind of jarring, almost. The room was spacious, with two sofas facing each other in the middle. Two shelves sat next to a workbench, all covered in mechanical contraptions and pieces. Like a madman’s work place. A compact version of a PokéCenter’s Pokémon Revitalizer sat close by. The rest of the room was pretty normal. A huge plasma TV was connected to every gaming console Will could even imagine, and to top it all off, bean bag chairs for all of Will’s needs.

Will plopped onto the bean bag and sighed deeply. _‘Thank gods, sanctuary.’_

Igglybuff followed suit, jumping onto a beanbag with a puff.

Nico sat down on one of the couches as Cubone dropped onto the floor. Leo walked over to the Revitalizer, pulling his two PokéBalls out and placing them in the slots. The machine played a cheery tune, emitting a blue light over the PokéBalls.

“You know, Hestia said you were good, but I thought she was just being generous,” Leo said nonchalantly.

Will looked up, interested. “You know Hestia?”

Leo shrugged, playful sarcasm in his tone. “I’m a Gym Leader, she’s a much older Gym Leader. It’s a miracle we’ve met, to be honest. But anyway.” He put his PokéBalls back into his belt, and then started shuffling through drawers in his workbench. “Where … did I put them,” Leo muttered to himself, “they’re here somewhere … aha!”.

Leo pulled out a badge dramatically, holding it high above his head. “Here, catch.”

Leo flipped the coin towards Nico, who caught it at the last second. Nico turned it in his hands, looking at it carefully. “Thanks.”

Leo pulled out a heavy crate from under the table with a huff before taking the lid off and shuffling through it as well. Will sat up, wondering how someone as important and high-standing as a Gym Leader could possibly be so … casual about League matters.

“Here’s one!” Leo exclaimed proudly, pulling out a TM from the mess in the box. He pushed the box back under the desk with his foot. As he made his way to the couch opposite of Nico, he said, “This TM is Rock Smash. You’re going to need it if you want to get to the next town, Mavero.” Leo gave the TM to Nico before sitting down.

Will got up from the bean bag chair and sat down next to Nico, wanting to be able to pay better attention. Glancing over at the badge in Nico’s hands, Will could see that the design was simple: a mallet with a flame behind it.

Nico opened his Trainer Bag and placed the TM inside. “Why would we need it? Is there something we have to do to get there?”

“Well, you’ve gotta go through the Pyre Caverns to get to Mavero, unless you want to go around the mountain range. Which is like, a month-long trip. And celestial bronze is created there naturally, but sometimes huge chunks of bronze-infused boulders form and block paths and corridors. Rock Smash takes care of them with ease.”

Nico nodded. “Thanks.” He pulled out his Battle Monitor, turning it on.

Leo sat up straight, surprised look on his face. “Whoa, don’t tell me the good ol’ Professor is still handing those out!” Leaning forward, Leo looked over Nico’s Monitor with a look of distaste. “Eugh. It’s not even the latest model,” Leo turned to Will. “What about you? Same thing?”

Taken aback by Leo’s sudden change in tone, Will replied with an um before taking his Breeder’s Monitor from his bag as well. “Uh, I’ve got this for a while now. It works fine.”

Leo glanced the Monitor over, giving a “huh” of disapproval. Standing up, Leo pointed at the door. “C’mon, there’s no way you two are going on with that old stuff. We’ve got a tech house across the hall.”

Will glanced over at Nico, who had an equally puzzled look. Will guessed Nico was feeling just as surprised as he was.

A short walk across the hall later, and Will found himself stepping into a warehouse-like room, where boxes upon boxes of electronics were stored. A lone Gym employee sat behind a counter, looking bored but perking up at the sound of them coming in. “Oh, hey Leo,” the employee waved, spinning from side to side on his chair.

Leo waved back before turning to Nico and Will. “Usually we give out stuff for traveling trainers, since they usually don’t have any way to get them elsewhere. They’re way younger than you two, though.”

Leo waltzed through the room, stopping at a box that looked like it had recently arrived. Pulling out a utility knife from his tool belt, he cut through the tape on the box and opened it. Will saw stacks of small boxes advertising the product: “Battle Monitor+: Battle Stats Right On Your Wrist!”; a watch-like device was pictured.

Nico took one at Leo’s insistence. As Nico began to open the packaging, Leo replaced the box and headed further down the room, looking for another stack of devices. As he looked, Leo called out, “Hey, you’re a breeder, yeah?” Will replied with a quick yes, more interested in what Nico was doing.

The new and improved Monitor was sleek and refined, meant to be worn on the wrist rather than something to be held. The screen was more or less the width of Nico’s wrist, so it wasn’t too clunky. With a red finish to it, the Monitor looked like a big watch. As Nico turned it on, the screen blinked to life, and to Will’s surprise, the screen extended outwards, doubling the length horizontally.

Will felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned to see Leo holding out a box for him. Will took it as Leo began to explain.

“So Breeder tech is a bit clunkier just for practicality on the field, but it’s better than what you got right now.”

Will opened the box, which was plain white, and took out a red device, the size of a book and thinner than his Monitor. There were grips on each side, and a thin screen that ran down the length of the device on the right. Flipping it over, Will saw that there was a slot for TMs on the side, along with a few more, but Will couldn’t think of what they were for.  Leo pointed at the grips on each side of it. “Pull those two away from each other.” Will did as Leo said, and to Will’s surprise, the left-hand grip extended outwards, which created a hologram-like screen.

“Whoa,” Will muttered. That was really cool. The screen on the right flashed and prompted him with a message: ‘Please tap your Trainer Card here’.

Will looked over to Leo, who simply replied, “If you want to transfer your old Monitor’s data, you can do that with your trainer card. The old Monitor’s connected to a Trainer ID, right?”

Will nodded. His own Monitor needed to be connected to a Trainer ID that was recognized as a Breeder to work anyway. Will took out his wallet and pulled out his Trainer Card, and then tapped it against the new Monitor’s side panel. The blank hologram screen flashed to a new screen, displaying a loading bar as all his old data was being transferred.

 _‘This is so cool …’_ Will poked his finger through the hologram screen. The screen responded with an effect around his finger.

“That’s how you move the screen around,” Leo said. “Just as if it’s a touch screen.”

Will looked over to Nico, who had already put the Monitor on. He looked confused. “Nico, everything okay?”

“I don’t have a Trainer Card.”

Leo scratched his head, asking, “What? Not even at Trainer School?”

“I never went to Trainer School.”

Leo shook his head in disbelief, but Will could understand. Trainer School was one of the potential schools you could go to after the basic education people got. People didn’t have to go unless they wanted to become professional trainers. Which made it that much more impressive that Nico was such a talented trainer already.

“Well, I think the PokéCenter here lets you create Trainer IDs and print out replacement cards. You should check there.” Leo said.

Nico nodded. “And then I’m going to sleep for the rest of the day.”

 

~

 

The fields outside of town looked as tranquil as they had ever been. Will found the afternoon nice and relaxing after what the day had brought. The sun’s heat had died down, replaced by a cool breeze. After Nico had gone through the process of registering a Trainer ID and getting his Trainer Card, he crashed into bed, and had fallen asleep almost immediately. Will didn’t blame him; for two days straight the poor guy had been running around facing challenges like a madman.

Will didn’t want to end the day so soon though. The autumn season was catching up to this part of the Olympia region despite it having begun some weeks ago, and the scenery was starting to change little by little. The least he could do was enjoy it before heading into the Pyre Caverns.

So here he was, walking slowly with Igglybuff as company. His new Monitor was working great; unlike his older one, this one had more functions outside standard Breeder’s things, like video call and messaging. Will was happy about that, because now he could call his mom and see how she was doing at the Daycare using the Daycare’s PC, or contact Cecil on his PC.

As Will walked, Igglybuff sat on his head, intent on eating through its snacks. Will was usually very good at watching the Pokémon’s diet, but he couldn’t help but let Igglybuff eat a jawbreaker with a Jigglypuff face on it. It was really funny.

Will sat down by the tree close to town, watching the usual gathering of Jumpluffs and Skiploom a little ways away. With the windy evening, the Pokémon were having an easier time gliding, but they seemed to enjoy being blown high into the air by the fans.

Will spotted a particular Hoppip among all of them, with recovering stem on its head and a slightly altered glide. _‘Must be the Hoppip from last time,’_ Will thought. _‘It looks like it’s doing better.’_

The Hoppip looked like it was doing fine now, and it looked happy. Despite not being in top health, it didn’t look exhausted anymore.

After a while, the Hoppip spotted Will under the tree, and it made a jump towards them. Igglybuff stopped eating to wave at the Pokémon, which greeted back with a cheery “Hoppip!”. The Grass-type landed softly at Will’s feet, repeating its greeting.

“Hey little guy. How’re you feeling?” Will reached out and patted the Pokémon’s head.

The Pokémon replied in an appreciative tone, spinning its propellers faster.

“That’s great news. Take it easier next time, okay? Here,” Will reached into his Trainer Bag, pulling out an Oran Berry.

Hoppip happily took the Berry, eating it in one bite. The Pokémon then hopped and sat down next to Igglybuff, who offered its candy. Will sighed and closed his eyes. He was pretty tired now.

The trio sat comfortably and peacefully for a good while. It wasn’t until the sun was almost down that Will decided it was time to head back to town. Collecting himself, Will stood up and stretched. “Alright Puff, let’s get going.”

Igglybuff got up reluctantly, more interested in enjoying the scenery and the company. As Igglybuff hopped to Will’s side, Hoppip stood up but stayed in place. Will waved a goodbye, fairly certain he’d probably not see the Pokémon again if they were going to leave tomorrow morning.

When they reached the city limits, Will stopped for a second. He could hear a light _whir_ and soft bounces from behind him. He turned around, and saw the Hoppip bounding toward him. Happily, the Hoppip came up to Will and tapped him on his foot.

“Hop, Hoppip!”

“You … want to come with us?”

Hoppip nodded firmly, spinning its propellers to emphasis its point.

“That’s great! Ha, I didn’t think to make a new partner so soon,” Will took out a PokéBall, feeling excited. “Welcome aboard, Hoppip!”

Will tapped the PokéBall on Hoppip’s forehead, and the Pokémon became surrounded by the PokéBall’s red glow. The Ball immediately clicked, and the Monitor in Will’s pocket vibrated, with a feminine voice calling, “ _Hoppip has been caught._ ”

Igglybuff cheered, lifting its arms high in approval.

Will strapped the PokéBall to his belt, a sense of satisfaction and subtle giddiness setting in. A new partner to train and help grow. He couldn’t wait to tell Nico about this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's going to be two chapters posted back-to-back next week, if school allows me to!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	14. Pyre Caverns

Nico was wondering why the caverns were called “Pyre” Caverns. Leo hadn’t offered any sort of explanation beforehand, and the townspeople just shrugged when asked. Now he was pretty sure why. The trail leading towards the base of the mountains started out innocent enough. A couple miles outside the exit to Lavarge, the open grass plains turned into rocky shrubbery. Eventually, the terrain started to slope upwards as they got closer to the mountains. That’s when things started to get a little weird.

On the way, they had encountered a few wild Pokémon. Nothing special, though, just a few Geodudes and the run-of-the-mill Pidgey. Once the group got to the slope upwards, though, Nico could have sworn seeing glimpses of _something_ out of the corner of his eye. Probably a Pokémon, but it was still something that caught his attention. Maybe a Ghost-type.

His suspicions had been confirmed when they found the first “odd” thing. Cubone had pointed it out: it was a tree stump, adorned with smooth stones all around, and a small trinket sitting on the stump. It looked like a shrine, which would explain the glimpses Nico was seeing. Ghost-types hung out at these kinds of sites all the time. Nico didn’t make a big deal out of it, though, for Will’s sake. The poor guy needed to catch a break.

When they finally made it to the entrance of the cavern, Nico had counted a dozen of the same kind of shrine. Now, inside the caverns, the “Pyre” part of the place really made sense. The cave led into an open area, lit up by lanterns strung up against the walls. Despite the light being dim, Nico could see rows upon rows of markers.

Will whispered from behind Nico, “… Those are tombstones?”

“Looks like it.”

“Nico, look.” Will pointed towards a sign on the wall, which looked new compared to the lanterns and the markers. It read:

‘Pyre Caverns

Once a burial site during ancient times, the caverns now serve as celestial bronze mines.

Please be mindful of your surroundings and help us preserve Olympia’s rich history.

The route leading to Mavero is located to the right. Be wary of rooms cut off by red ropes and do not

attempt to enter.

Olympia Historical Preservation Association’

Will shifted on his feet. “Huh. That’s … interesting, I guess.” He readjusted his backpack, lowering Igglybuff onto the floor. “We should get moving. It’s almost noon.”

Nico glanced over at Will, but didn’t question it. Will was jumpy, that was obvious since the beginning. But he wasn’t now, which was surprising. “Sure thing.”

Nico made out a small path on the outskirts of the marker area, and the group walked towards it. At the end of it was a new entrance which Nico could barely see, which lead downwards into a mineshaft with a brighter lantern.

The mineshaft was stuffy and hot, the rock floor warm under Nico’s feet. Nico looked down further into the tunnel, which looked to go on forever. Will wiped his forehead, muttering, “Can’t catch a break from all this heat for once.”

They walked at a steady pace. Igglybuff got bored a few minutes in and began messing with its Flash move, changing between different brightnesses. Down the mine shaft, there were multiple forks, but most of them were blocked off. “Employees only” signs blocked off alternate routes to more shafts, but occasionally they would run into roped off paths reading “Danger”.

After about half an hour of walking, Nico heard some stone shift up ahead. Squinting his eyes, Nico tried to get a better look through the poorly lighted passage, but he couldn’t see much. Then he saw a swoop of something flying by the ceiling. Suddenly, the thing swooped down swiftly, screeching loudly.

“Zuuubaat!”

The tiny bat-Pokémon flew down to attack Nico, but the Pokémon was struck down with a strong _thwack_. Cubone had smacked the Zubat swiftly, with little effort. The wild Zubat landed on the floor with a soft thud, laying limply and groaning in defeat. Will stepped towards the Pokémon, looking closely. “Zubat. They’re common in caves. I wouldn’t worry about him because they recover pretty quickly.”

Not a moment too soon, the Zubat flopped backward as it regained its energy, flapping violently upwards. The Pokémon flew in every direction, before taking off in the direction it had come. Which was, unfortunately for Nico, the direction they were headed.

“He’ll be back soon enough,” Will sighed. “They’re unrelenting Pokémon. You should have seen this one Zubat a kid brought to us one year.”

Will started walking forward, and Nico let him take the lead. “I think the Zubat’s name was ‘Mr. Batzo’ or something. It was kind of funny and endearing,” Will chuckled. “Poor thing banged against the walls of the Daycare all the … time …” Will’s words came to a stop. Nico could hear flapping and moving rubble. It wasn’t just one, though. It was like a million flapping wings at once, and soon screeches joined in, growing louder and louder. It sounded like a million screeches shouting “Zubat, zuzu Bat!” all at once.

_‘Oh no …’_ Nico looked at Will, who looked back. “Run!”

Will picked up Igglybuff, who gave out a huff. Nico made sure Cubone and Will were following him as he sprinted in the other direction. Igglybuff must have maxed out its Flash, because suddenly Nico could see farther down the winding tunnel in a pinkish tint. Running as fast as he could, Nico looked back. Will was running as fast as he could, and Cubone was keeping up with him. But the flapping and screeching noises were getting louder and louder until Nico could see the cloud of Zubats flying furiously towards them with the ferocity of Beedrill.

Breathing hard, Nico looked for any of the forks in the road they could divert into. Finally, one of them appeared. Nico hurdled over the red rope, hesitating only slightly to make sure everyone was following. The Zubat hoard was still in pursuit, and Nico was sure they weren’t just flying aimlessly. They were chasing.

His legs and chest ached as he grew more tired. They were coming up to a path blocked entirely by a metallic bronze-speckled boulder. Suddenly Nico was glad he had had the foresight to teach Rock Smash to Cubone. “Cubone, the rock!” Nico pointed at the boulder they were closing in on.

Cubone held out its bone club out, preparing its attack. It let out a “Cu, cu, cu” with every step, its bone glowing a brilliant yellow on one end. The rock was feet away.

“Cubone!”

Cubone launched forward, its bone held high, before bringing it down with an all-powerful swing. The rock burst into rubble, flying everywhere. Nico intercepted Cubone as he ran, closing his eyes as the rubble flew past. He sprinted past the rubble for a few feet before he felt an awful churning in his stomach as the floor beneath him disappeared and his body flung forward.

He rolled down a slope, hugging Cubone tightly. The world fused into a disorientated mess of darkness and dirt until finally the slope ended and Nico’s momentum sent him barreling through until he smacked against a wall. Nico had little time to recover before what he assumed was Will slid against him with an “Oof”.

Ragged breathing was all that was heard for a minute as Nico recovered from the fall. He didn’t feel like he seriously hurt, only disorientated. Maybe a bruised shoulder. Nico checked Cubone over, who was fine, but dizzy.

“Nico?” Will called, his voice exhausted.

“Yeah?”

“You okay?”

Nico sat up, placing Cubone down next to him. “Yeah,” he replied, feeling his back. “Just sore.”

Will sat up, placing Igglybuff on his shoulder. The Pokémon looked fine. In fact, Nico had the impression Igglybuff was feeling the best out of all of them. Will looked over Nico, checking for any cuts or wounds. Will sighed in relief when he was satisfied that no one was seriously injured.

Nico looked up at the roof of the cavern. It was too dark to see how high it was, but Nico was certain the Zubat had lost interest and flown to wherever the ceiling went. Glancing over at where they had come, Nico groaned. The entrance to the cavern was easily fifteen or twenty feet above them, and the slope leading down was extremely steep.

“Think we can get back up there?” Nico asked.

Will shook his head. “Maybe. We just need to find some footing.” Slumping backward, Will sighed. “Can we take five, though? I’m exhausted.”

Nico rubbed his forehead. “Let’s, uh. Let’s just rest here a bit.”

“Yeah, sounds like a good idea.”

 

* * *

 

 

Pleasant darkness filled Will’s brain as he slept, dreaming of nothing in particular. Just the feeling of rest. The feeling felt like it had gone on for hours until the nudging at his shoulder made him shake awake. When he opened his eyes, two things registered: he realized where he was, sitting at the bottom of a ditch, and that it was eerily quiet.

Nico was close to him, his hand on Will’s shoulder. He had a finger over his mouth, signaling Will to be quiet. He looked grim.

Will mouthed, ‘ _What’s happening?’_

Nico shook his head, pointing for Will to listen. Nico gestured towards a dark part of the chamber. Apparently, it wasn’t just a wall covered by darkness; the sounds of footsteps and talking echoed, meaning there was a tunnel leading somewhere else. Nico nudged Will and pointed towards a boulder close by. Will picked up Igglybuff and the group made their way slowly and carefully to rock, taking cover behind it.

The echoing voices progressively got louder and more defined. Unfortunately for Will, he recognized them all too well.

“-id machine, and stupid signal. Gods, why do we always have the rough jobs,” a feminine voice spoke. A clunking pair of footsteps sounded throughout the chamber now, meaning they were in the room. Will leaned his head against the stone on his back, his heart pounding. He had completely forgotten about these guys, and for whatever reason them being there again made him fill up with trepidation.

The woman spoke again. “The Zubats are hanging around somewhere up there. If this stupid locator works-” three smacks resonated through the hall as she hit whatever machine she had.

Her partner spoke, “I s’pose we should head back to base. We’re not gonna get much else here.”

“If you hadn’t just kept the cage door _shut_ like you were _supposed_ to- “

“’Ey, I was trying to put the last one back inside!”

“Who _cares_? We would have done just fine without another one!”

The man grunted. “Fine, it was my fault. Can we get back to base so we can try and catch more before we’re called back, then?”

The room was silent as the woman thought. “Whatever. You’re placing the bait this time.”

Without more discussion, the duo left from where they came. Will didn’t dare move until the footsteps died out, and even then, they waited a few more minutes.

Nico stood up from their hiding spot. “I’m going to follow them.”

“What?”

“If they’re poaching Pokémon, I’m not going to let them get away.” Nico adjusted his bag and secured his PokéBall belt. “At the very least, I’m going to see who these people are.”

Will hesitated. As much as he hated these people for their certain mysterious, felon-like activity, he wasn’t sure they could face them, especially if there were more of them.

“Nico, you can’t.”

“Why not?” Nico’s voice had steeled.

“We can’t possibly fight these _criminals_ \- “

“I’ve been getting stronger- “

“In a controlled environment!” Will cut him off. “League battles and trainer battles are different! These people, they don’t respect battle etiquette, it’s not the same!”

“Will,” Nico said firmly. “I’m going.”

Nico started walking in the direction the grunts had come from. Will watched him walk with Cubone at his side, and he hesitated. “Wait, Nico. There’s something you should know.”

Nico turned around, looking at Will intently with a worked up expression. Will hadn’t seen Nico angry before. Clearing his throat, Will continued. “That day at the Gym, when you and Leo went into the basement. I didn’t tell you exactly what happened…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update on Wednesday the 26th!
> 
> Thanks for reading :)


	15. Caverns Pursuit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo midnight posting ftw

The tunnel was never going to end. Will could feel it. It was hot, he was sticky, and he could never catch a break. They couldn’t have a normal journey like all the other people who ever went on journeys across the whole region. Instead, he was hunting criminals.

He wasn’t particularly happy about it, but he wasn’t going to mention it to Nico. Nico had gotten agitated with him when Will explained his first encounter with these same people.

“Why didn’t you tell me or anyone sooner?”

The sentence and tone had stung a little. In fact, Will noticed that the story had made Nico even more determined to follow.

Taking silent steps down the tunnel, Will lost track of time. The cavern seemed to stretch on forever, but thankfully it never once broke into a fork in the road. Finally, the tunnel opened into a bigger cave, which was dark but well-lit off in the distance.

Nico slowed his steps to a crawl, and Will carefully matched his pace. There was a lot of activity happening on the bright side of the cave. Voices, walking, and the sound of moving objects echoed across the room. Apparently, there were a lot more of them than just the two from earlier. Casual talk between people filled the cave; Will caught snippets here and there: complaints about the heat and discussion about how the Gurdurrs vs. Machokes fieldball game was going to play out later in the night were popular topics, from what Will could hear.

Crossing the cave through the cover of the shadows, Will followed Nico and Cubone behind a large metal crate just on the outskirts of the darkness. As Nico peered over the crate to check things out, Will’s interest was caught on something on the box.

A strange symbol he hadn’t ever seen before.

 

 

 

Will peeked over the crate. The cave extended further down and even broke off into segments, with people spread out between different crates identical to the one they were hiding behind.

“Get down Solace!” Nico whispered, pulling him by the hem of his shirt as a grunt passed by. Not quick enough though.

“Huh? Who’s there?”

Will cursed under his breath. ‘ _I’m such an idiot.’_

Nico picked up a rock and chucked it across the cave. A split second passed by before the rock jittered across the floor. The grunt jogged passed the crate towards the sound, not even glancing at them. Will didn’t have time to even sigh in relief before Nico sprang up and motioned for Will to follow.

_‘Why are we doing this,’_ Will thought. _‘We could have been in Mavero by now and-_ ‘

“Oh.”

Will stopped dead in his tracks as a person blocked his and Nico’s way. Will looked up to see a woman with long hair, mouth contorted in a snarl.

“I knew there was someone following us. You all have made a big mistake, kiddos.”

It was the woman from the Gym and from earlier. Great. Just who Will wanted to see. Before either of them could retort or make any kind of comeback (which Will did not have in the slightest), another person barged in from a side cave nearby.

“Who’re you talking to? Oh! What do we have here?” The other grunt, this lady’s partner, practically jumped over to her side. “Trainers? They must have _great_ Pokémon!”

Will instinctively placed a hand over his PokéBall and stepped a little closer to Igglybuff, who was still around the corner of the crate.

“What the hell are you doing to the Pokémon here?” Nico demanded, his voice full of anger and annoyance.”

The woman waved her hand, answering coolly, “None of your business. Now, get out of here if you want to leave this infernal cavern with everything you hold dear.”

Nico clenched his fist, his attitude getting worse. Cubone seemed to be getting agitated too.

“Who are you people?” Will asked, hoping to stall for something to happen. Hopefully, something that didn’t involve getting mugged by these people.

The man chuckled, before pointing to his chest. His uniform, which was dull grey and earthy brown palette, had the same “T” like the ones on the crate. “Don’t you know? We’re Team Terr – “

“Shut _up,_ you fool!” The woman interrupted him, slapping him against the backside of his head. The man let out an _oof_ before recomposing himself smoothing his hair out.

The woman turned her attention back to Will and Nico. “Leave. Now.”

Nico stepped forward, and to Will’s agony, he said, “No.”

The woman unhooked the single PokéBall from her belt, tossing it forward. Will closed his eyes as the red flash appeared. A Tangela appeared, looking fierce and menacing. Its tentacles writhed wildly, and Will noticed a crazed glint in its eye.

Ever so calmly, the woman issued her first command. “Tangela, Vine Whip.”

At first, the Tangela didn’t seem to respond, but then the Pokémon lashed out suddenly, created four long vines from its body, which flailed wildly.

Cubone lashed out with a swift Bonemerang attack, without Nico even issuing an attack. The vines sped rapidly towards Cubone, but the Bonemerang cut through all four of them effortlessly.

The woman narrowed her eyes, and if Will had to guess, he’d say she was impressed. Not a moment later, she turned around to her cohorts, which Will realized had been watching the whole time. “Gather as many assets as you can, and notify the boss. We’re leaving.”

“Hey, wait –” Nico stepped forward, but Will quickly pulled him back as the Tangela grew out more vines and a few more Tangela came out from the other caves. Together they rooted into the ground, vine after vine. The earth trembled slightly before massive stalks erupted inches away from the Tangela, writhing and wrapping around each other, creating a massive vine wall.

The last glimpse Will could see was of more Tangela popping out and using their vines to help other grunts carry boxes to who knows where.

In total darkness, Igglybuff brightened the room with Flash with a quick tug of its tuft. Nico felt the wall, trying to pull at it. “We have to get through. We can’t let them get away. Cubone, try to break through this stuff!”

Cubone readied its bone, using attack after attack, but nothing was really working. Nico sent out his Murkrow, trying to double the efforts of breaking through.

Will was about to interject, but then he realized that the box they had hidden behind was still there. Will crouched down by the box, looking over it. There was a latch on the right side, secured by a large lock.

“Okay let’s see …” Will took out his new Monitor from his bag, booting it up. He tapped into the ‘Pokémon’ interface, which had his own two Pokémon on display as the default. He tapped on Hoppip’s icon. The Pokémon had a surprising amount of good moves including … “Oh, maybe that’ll work”

Will unlatched Hoppip’s PokéBall and pressed the button. Hoppip popped out, greeting Will joyfully.

“Hey, Hoppip. Listen, could you try and break this lock for me?” Will held up the lock, showing it to the Pokémon. “Maybe you could use Aerial Ace?”

The Pokémon nodded with a bubbly smile, before it wound up its propellers. The Pokémon hummed and its leaves turned white as they spun faster and faster. Finally, Hoppip came forward and touched its leaves against the lock, cutting it surprisingly well. The metal fell to the ground as Hoppip cut through.

“Nice one, Hoppip.” Will removed the rest of the lock from the latch. The Pokémon landed next to Igglybuff, which immediately started up a conversation.

“Will turned back to the lock, glancing over at Nico, who was still smashing against the wall. Unhooking the latch, Will opened the crate. Will peeked in before a hoard of Pokémon sprinted out all at once. Will made out the forms of Zubats, Geodudes, and Drilbur. The Pokémon ran around sporadically in a craze, knocking into every wall.

Before long, the hoard ran into the vine wall and began to attack it. The Zubat repeatedly batted at it with their wings, the Drilbur shoveled at the base of the vines, and the Geodudes launched themselves repeatedly.

The attack continued a little longer until the wall began to shudder and the vines became undone. The stretches of plant uncurled and splayed out onto the floor. The Pokémon spread out and dispersed into the different caves.

Nico ran into the rest of the cave, looking every which way. “There’s no one here anymore.”

Will looked down onto the floor, looking at the different patterns. Footsteps, vine imprints, and indents left by dropped crates all looked to ultimately lead to the right. “Nico, look.”

 

~

 

By the time they reached the end of the cave, they hadn’t found anyone. They had stumbled across another crate, which they opened to let the Pokémon out, but that was it. Whoever they were, they were not new to the whole “kidnapping Pokémon thing”.

Will could see light at the end of the tunnel, which was surprising. They reached the end of the cave, which came out to a cliff side. The sky was starting to get red.

Nico didn’t say a word.

“Hey, you okay?”

“It’s a long story,” Nico replied shortly.

As cryptic as that was, Will didn’t want to push it further. This whole situation looked like it was touchy to Nico. Even when Will had told him about the sneaking duo inside the Gym.

Will looked down into the clearing below, where he could make out the faintest signs of a town. It had to be Mavero. The town looked quaint; definitely not the glamor and bustle of Lavarge. If anything, it looked plain and simple, with nothing too jarring going on. Will was thankful for that.

 It was still a long walk away, which Will assumed had to do with the fact that this path they took was a detour from the main path.

With any luck, they could make it to the PokéCenter in the town before dark. He definitely wanted to submit a report to the local Officers in town. Will wasn’t going to stay quite like last time.

If he had spoken up then, maybe they could have stopped these people. Of course, it was unlikely, but still.

_‘Team Terr … something. Hm.’_ Will hoped they’d never come across these people again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Will, if only you could never encounter them ever again ...
> 
> We're coming back to some nice fun stuff after this little detour. Next chapter is in Mavero, just in time for some Halloween themed fun! It's going to be more festive than scares, though. There's been enough of those for a while. Just some good ol' fluff.
> 
> Thanks for reading :)


	16. The Fall Festival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A week late, but I wasn't satisfied with the first pass.

Will woke up lazily, with the nice feeling of knowing that there wasn’t anything to do for the day. It was Will’s turn to get the bed while Nico got the chair, and Will was happy to indulge in the comfort of the bed this morning. The clock read 6:02 A.M. Will sighed contently, closing his eyes again.

It had been two days since they had arrived at Mavero. Two beautifully calm, ordinary days. Will was especially grateful for that. For once, he wasn’t in a perilous situation since before getting to Lavarge. Hopefully, if the Fates decided, it would stay that way for a long time.

Will had become well acquainted with the town since arriving. The town was simple: the buildings were like the ones back home, the road wasn’t paved, and the paths were lit up by the light coming from old looking lanterns, which used candles instead of electricity. There was a modest town square with an ancient tree in the middle. The only thing out-of-place was the PokéCenter and the PokéMart.

All in all, Will felt pretty at home.

There were some oddities here and there though. Will noticed on the first night that the candles in the lanterns just kind of floated in place, and they never actually ran out. Will figured it was just the work of local Psychic-type Pokémon. He’d seen many of the townspeople with Abras, Ralts, and the occasional Slowpoke.

Will sighed again before sitting up and stretching his arms forward. Nico was still sleeping in the chair, his mouth slightly open and his hair ruffled messily. Will felt his face warm up as he let himself stare a little while longer. In the hustle of the last few days, Will hadn’t had a chance to pay attention to those feelings.

He didn’t feel flustered anymore, though. Getting into crazy antics will do that to a person, as Will figured. He was just going to go along with it, and see where this ride was going to take him.

Will rolled over the covers and swung his feet out onto the floor. Despite all the nothing he had to do, his internal clock was still running Daycare shifts. Will changed out of his sleepwear and changed into a fresh set of clothes. Today’s pick was his orange sweatshirt and a pair of jeans with a striped beanie. The Fall weather was finally in.

Taking out a sticky note and a pen from the bedside table (complimentary of the PokéCenter), Will scribbled out a little note for Nico: ‘Out for a walk brb’.

Will grabbed his bag, making sure to carry his Monitor, and headed out the door. He decided to leave Igglybuff behind, if only because the puff had taken very well to its new sleeping schedule. It was in a deep sleep at the foot of the bed.

Down the hall and into the PokéCenter, Will was greeted by the Nurse Joy on the shift.

“Hello, sir,” Nurse Joy waived.

“Good morning, Nurse Joy. How are you today?” Will walked up to the counter, deciding to make polite conversation.

“Oh! Very good! Thank you for asking.” Nurse Joy smiled graciously. She probably didn’t get many people who were willing to carry a conversation past “hello”.

Will leaned on the counter nonchalantly, moving back and forth between one foot to the other. “How is everything in the care center, Nurse Joy?”

“Oh, everything’s swell! We haven’t had any major cases past exhaustion in a week or so. Thank goodness, because the Fall Festival is today, and no one has to miss it.”

“Wait, the Fall Festival is today?” Will looked at the wall behind Nurse Joy, finding the calendar where it always is in every Center.

“Yes, of course! We hold a special carnival in the town square here in Mavero. Our Gym Leader will be hosting a special show to kick the evening off.” Nurse Joy pulled over a flyer from the other side of the counter and pointed to it.

The flyer read:

“Join us in a celebration of the Fall!

Mavero City Center

5:00 PM – 10:00PM

Featuring a special performance by Gym Leader Lou Ellen and Mime Jr.”

“Huh,” Will said as he looked over the flyer again. The design was very nicely decorated, with Pumpkaboos and Hoothoots adorning the border. “I’ll definitely drop by tonight. Thanks for telling me, Nurse Joy!”

Nurse Joy clapped her hands together. “Of course! Thank you for listening.”

Will made his parting goodbyes, promising to come back in an hour or so, before heading outside into the brisk windy morning. Will shivered from the cold creeping up his cheeks as he began his walk down the road, dirt crunching beneath his feet. As he walked, Will pulled out his Monitor and navigated into the contacts menu.

He had made the effort to recollect the contacts he had by using the PokéCenter’s PC. His finger hovered over the Daycare’s PC number, but hesitated. It was only six in the morning, which meant his mom was doing all of Will’s to-do’s. A pang of guilt struck him, but Will let it go, reassuring him that his mother had even insisted he go on this journey. No regrets.

Deciding he would call a different time, Will instead selected Cecil’s PC and opted to send an invite to a call. Knowing Cecil, he was probably going to have a fit at being woken up at ‘two in the gods-damned morning, Will! Why are you calling me at this unholy hour?’-o’clock.

Will waited a few minutes before, sure enough, he got a reply back: ‘WTF WILL ITS 3 AM YOU BETTER BE DYING OR ELSE’

_‘Close enough,’_ Will thought as he typed a quick reply: ‘just accept the call cecil’.

A few seconds later, the Monitor opened a call window. Will flipped the device around in his hands, looking for the mic or something similar.

Not finding anything, Will gave a tentative, “Hello?”

“William, you better hope your ass is dying or I’m going to come and find you.”

Will smiled as he leaned up against a tree and slid down into a sitting position. He missed his best friend’s banter.

“Relax, man. It’s not that early.”

“It’s two in the morning and –”

“Cecil, it’s 6 AM.”

“Anything before nine is too early! Not to mention I have to go to work and do all that hard-core labor.”

Will shook his head. “Oh come on, the grocers isn’t that bad.”

Cecil gave a half-attempted sarcastic gasp, but he must have given up trying. “Are you telling me you haven’t even called your own mother? I thought you were the good child.”

“What do you mean?” Will had no idea what Cecil meant.

Cecil clicked his tongue before answering. “I’m replacing you, silly. Your mom asked me if I could help her out at the Daycare doing your job. It pays better than the grocers, too.” Cecil paused before adding, “I think if I keep doing it long enough I can be her full-time son while you’re gone.”

“Good luck with that. I doubt you could deal with waking up at 5 on Saturdays.”

“Whoa whoa, who said Saturdays were a thing?”

 

~

 

Will talked with Cecil for another hour or so. He laughed and talked about everything that had happened so far, which was so interesting to Cecil that he forgot about being cranky. After ending the call, (“Say hello to your boyfriend for me!” “He’s not my boyfriend, Cecil.”) Will called the Daycare. His mother had picked up after the first few rings.

He recounted the whole story again to his mom, minus the Durant attack, the encounter with those grunts, and the cave incident. Which was roughly ¾ of the whole thing, Will figured. By the time he finished and his mom started telling him about how she had been, Will heard the doorbell ring as the door swung open and he could hear Cecil say, “Morning, Ms. S!” in the background. They finished their conversation shortly after.

When Will looked up from the interesting patch of grass at his feet that he’d been staring at the whole time, people were out and about the town. Some adults were starting to set up decorations along the walls and on the lanterns while children ran around and watched excitedly. Not wanting to let the day get any later, Will stood up and brushed himself off before setting off back to the PokéCenter.

 

* * *

 

Nico really wanted to sleep for days. Months, even. He hadn’t gotten much since arriving at Mavero, even though they weren’t actually _doing_ anything. It was all because of the stupid dream that he wished would go away. He couldn’t remember the last time he had had them so frequently. For the most part, they had stopped years ago, after he’d been plagued by them night after night.

They kept changing slightly now, becoming more … defined and clear, while at the same time becoming more obscure and confusing. But at the very least, he hadn’t had the dream tonight. Nico was fully prepared to take advantage of that.

When he woke up, he felt well-rested, the kind of tired that filled him with the need to sleep for another four hours. And he did fall asleep again, only vaguely aware that the bed on the opposite end of the room was empty.

The second time, he awoke only because Cubone had climbed onto his lap and prodded him awake. The persistent little Pokémon poked over and over until Nico forced himself into a proper sitting position.

“What’s up, Cubone?” Nico asked lazily.

The Pokémon pointed towards the bed, which was cleanly made. Will must have gotten up and left into town, because Igglybuff wasn’t there and Will had left his clothing bag and rucksack. The clock on the bedside table read 10:12 A.M.

Nico stretched his legs out and groaned. Sleep deprivation for two days wasn’t fun. Nico considered falling back asleep, and he was starting to do just that. His eyelids fell slowly down and he began to feel drowsy before Cubone thwacked him with his club on the side of his head. Not hard or painful, but just enough to snap him out of it.

“Okay, okay! Jeez, you’re getting feistier lately.”

Nico sprang up and set Cubone down with a pat on the head before getting dressed. He wasn’t much for wardrobe, but it was getting cold lately, which meant bringing out his favorite jacket. The thing was impossible to wear back in Lavarge, but now it was the perfect time.

Nico rushed out of the PokéCenter in a bit of a rush, nodding to the Nurse Joy on his way out. Cubone chugged behind on its short feet as they exited the building. The street was busier than usual, with kids running around with pumpkins in their arms, yelling and chasing each other. Some friendly Pumpkaboo followed along happily. Nico stuffed his hands into his pockets and turned in the direction of the town square and walked at a quick pace.

Arriving at the town square, Nico looked around at all the decorations and gathering of people. They were putting up flags and creating pumpkin displays while also chatting avidly with each other. It looked very nice, but Nico wasn’t all that interested.

The last time he had gone to a public event was when he was a small child.

Nico scanned the square, hoping to spot Will. Sure enough, Nico spotted him helping an older woman with some pumpkins. He was focused on whatever he was doing to the pumpkin while sometimes looking up and chatting. On his side, Igglybuff held a marker with glee as it scribbled on a smaller pumpkin. The Pokémon was wearing a knitted beanie, which was easily bigger than half its body.

“Come on, Cubone.” Nico picked his Pokémon up and navigated the maze of displays and people before arriving to where Will was.

guygestured to the variety of pumpkins spread out on blankets. “I’m helping with carving some designs on these pumpkins.”

Igglybuff let out a proud, “Igglybuff!” as it spun around its pumpkin, revealing an incredibly poorly drawn … something in black ink. Nico raised in eyebrow, hoping Will would tell him what it was supposed to be.

Will looked back and just said, “Oh, Iggs isn’t allowed to have knives or anything sharp. I mean, obviously.”

Nico just shook his head after Will offered no further explanation. He supposed that the scribble looked somewhat like a Pokémon melting in pain, but Nico digressed. “Actually, I’m going to go get breakfast. Come with?” Nico pointed to the street where they’d eaten before. The place had some _great_ waffles.

“Nah, I already ate. See that stand over there? There’s some great muffins and stuff. You should go ask for some.”

‘ _Yeah, right.’_

“I’m going to go get waffles instead. I’ll be back in a bit though.”

 

* * *

 

 

Will finished carving out the fifth pumpkin before Nico came back. Which was surprising, if only because Nico ate like a black hole. Not only did he eat at the speed of a Snorlax, he ate like one too. And that was a surprise all on its own, since the guy looked like he barely ate a thing.

Nico’s return didn’t last that long, though. He insisted he wanted to go out and battle some Pokémon outside the town.

“C’mon, Nico, it’s the Fall Festival. You don’t just _work_ on the Fall Festival.”

Nico shrugged. “I don’t really want to be in between all these people. And me and Cubone haven’t trained in days.” Cubone nodded with a blunt, “Cubone!” for good measure.

“You do you, then,” Will said. “But come back before four. That’s when the carnival starts.”

“No promises.”

“I can’t promise I’ll save you any candy either. I might even have to give them some of our snacks if they run low.”

Nico looked at Will seriously. “You wouldn’t.”

“I can and I will, di Angelo.”

Nico huffed and was about to say something, but instead rolled his eyes. Shaking his head, he said, “Fine. I get the bed for two days in a row though.”

 

~

 

Will had a blast making pumpkin carvings for a few more hours. He was able to make a few dozen, with different designs on each: a Togepi egg pattern, a close-up of a Zubat’s face, and a Ghastly were just a few.

As Will placed his last pumpkin down, Igglybuff capped its marker and spun its masterpiece around to show Will. The pumpkin was scribbled all over, with jagged lines haphazardly drawn in odd patterns.

“Hey, nice Poliwag, Iggs,” Will gave his partner a thumbs up. “Let’s put it next to your first one.”

Will took Igglybuff’s pumpkin and placed it next to the Pokémon’s first creation, the only other one it could make while Will carved. The first one had a drawing of Hoppip on it, which Igglybuff was proud of. Earlier, when Igglybuff had finished, the Pokemon was so excited it went out of its way to release Hoppip from its PokeBall on Will’s belt to show off. Hoppip had been delighted.

Finishing up, Will excused himself to go see the rest of the town and how they were setting up. Everything was just about done: autumn-palette flags were strung together between lamp posts, and most of the stands were finally ready. Will was excited to try out all the games, since the festival looked a lot like the one back home.

_‘Hopefully they’ll have that bowling game here,’_ Will thought. He was particularly good at that one, and with any luck he could score himself a plush for Igglybuff, just like every other year.

Will leaned back against a lamp post near the ancient tree in the middle of the plaza and checked his Monitor. It was 3:23 PM, which meant that Nico would be back soon. Hopefully.

Igglybuff bounced excitedly, looking in every direction. The Pokemon was always keen on festivals, which Will completely agreed on. But the event didn’t start until another forty minutes, so Will decided to pass the time on his Monitor.

Will was just in the middle of checking out an updated version of a program on his old Monitor when he heard a shuffle of feet come close to him. He looked up to see Nico and Cubone, who were both looking around the plaza.

“Hey,” Nico said simply.

Will stood up and powered off his Monitor. “How was the outside world? Any good Pokemon?”

Nico shook his head, sighing. “There’s a ton of Ghost-types out, but nothing special. Everything was great until a swarm of kids starting stalking the route. It was … emotionally scarring.”

Will laughed. “Don’t tell me the great Nico di Angelo is _scared_ of little kids.”

Nico scoffed, picking Cubone up. “You wish, Solace. More like annoyed.”

“Whatever you say, Mr. Tough Stuff. C’mon, the show’s starting in a few minutes.”

Together, the group headed towards the gathering of people around the elevated stage on the opposite end of the plaza. Will held up Igglybuff on his head, so that the Pokemon could get a better view. It was interesting to see what the show or ceremony would be about. Back home the event just kind of started without an opening. Will would always just show up.

Beside him, a little girl and her friend were idly watching the stage. Will heard the girl exclaim, “Boy, I hope Ms. Gym Leader can top last year’s show!”

Will didn’t have much time to consider asking before the flames in the lamp posts flared up and the crowd drew quiet. Suddenly, the afternoon’s light was drowned out by clouds which had seemed to appear out of nowhere, making it seem like dusk.

On the stage, a flash of neon purple light sparked, and out came a Mime Jr., which spun around happily. In another flash of light, a girl, about Will’s age, appeared. The girl, who Will presumed was the Gym Leader, took a bow and flourished four PokéBalls outward, releasing them.

From all four PokéBalls, fog burst out as three Haunters and a Gengar flew out onto the stage and melted into shadows. Mime Jr.’s hands glowed as it waved them upwards, causing the fog to concentrate upwards and create the forms of Pokemon.

The smoke swirled into the forms of Gourgeists and Pumpkaboo, which danced in patterns all across the sky. Not too long after, the forms stacked into each other and created an enormous Driblfim, which popped into hundreds of Drifloons that dived down into the crowd.

The smoke turned into various other Pokemon, including Banette and a terrifying Dusknoir that created an enormous Shadow Ball from the center of its body. Will was taken away by how impressive the spectacle was.

In a sudden burst, the Haunters and Gengar rose out of the stage and used Shadow Ball attacks that launched towards the Dusknoir. When the attacks made impact, the Dusknoir became surrounded in a dark aura that surged with power.

Will glanced down from the sky to the crowd around him and then quickly to the stage. Mime Jr. had taken to glowing entirely, with its eyes taking on a violent shade of blue. The Gym Leader looked like she was instructing the Mime Jr. in whispers while also looking at the sky.

The Dusknoir morphed once again and turned into an actual Pokemon, one that had an air of fright to it and one which Will had heard about before. The enormous figure radiated until it settled on the form of Darkrai, sending a chill down Will’s neck. It got colder, and the Pokemon began to create another Shadow Ball. The Haunters and Gengar began to spiral around the Darkrai, until they all seemed to fuse into the Shadow Ball.

In a last flash of light, the Pokemon all morphed into nothing for a split second. Then, a dark form formed and towered over the stage. It was enormous and indistinguishable, but the shadowy silhouette was chilling. The form spread a pair of wings and a pair of bright red eyes blinked into existence. The form let out a bone chilling screech before flying into the air and diving downwards rapidly. A few children screamed as the shadow was about to crash into the crowd. Just as the figure made impact, it disappeared into a puff of smoke, and the sunlight came back to normal.

Silence followed only briefly before the crowd burst into cheers, applauding and laughing. On the stage, the Haunter and Gengar retreated into shadows as the Gym Leader and Mime Jr. took a bow.

“Thank you for coming today, everybody! We hope you all have fun tonight!”

The crowd began to disperse, but Will stayed put. His heart was still pounding from the very, _very_ realistic spectacle. It was pretty intense.

Nico also stayed put, waiting for the crowd to even out. He had mentioned wanting to meet the Gym Leader soon, so Will figured it would be the perfect time for that.

When they could reasonably walk to the stage, the group headed in the Gym Leader’s direction. She was drinking water and leaning on the edge of the stage with her Mime Jr. When she saw them approach, she stood up straight and offered a grin. Now that she wasn’t on stage and Will was preoccupied with creepy smoke, Will could finally see her clearly. She was shorter than Will, with dark choppy hair and bright green eyes, which had an all-knowing mischievous glint, as if she could read Will’s whole life like a book.

“Heya. You two aren’t from here.”

It was more of a statement than a question, Will noted. Nico was the first to speak. “No, we’re from another town.”

“That’s cool. Did Leo give you a hard time?”

“I … guess,” Nico replied. Will had to agree on Nico’s reaction. It was kind of weird on how she was just assuming and getting it all right.

“Lou Ellen, by the way. And this here is one of my partners, Mime Jr.”

Will waved his hand at Mime Jr., who waved back enthusiastically. Will turned back to Lou Ellen. “I’m Will, and this is Nico. He’s taking on the League Challenge.”

“I’m going to look forward to your challenge then, Nico. I specialize in Pokemon with a tricky air to them. Like Ghost- and Psychic-types.”

Will found that very interesting. It did play into the whole show she had just finished, anyway. “How’d you do that show, by the way? It was really cool.”

“I guess you could say it was a trick,” Lou Ellen said proudly.

“Like magic?”  
“I’d say more of an illusion,” Lou Ellen winked and smiled slyly. “Anyway, you four should go and enjoy tonight. I’d play the PokeBall toss game. They’ve got the best prizes there. See ya!”

Lou Ellen waved as she turned to walk away with her Mime Jr., disappearing into the crowd.

After a short conversation about what they were going to do, (“Nico we are not going back to the PokéCenter yet, we barely got started!”) they settled for the PokeBall toss that Lou Ellen had suggested.

The stand was shaped like one of those alley-shooting lanes that Will saw when traveling carnivals came by. The lane had various targets shaped like Pokemon, with the ones closer being bigger and the furthest one as small as Igglybuff.

The man behind the counter greeted them as they approached, and began to explain the instructions. “You get five balls, and each Pokemon you ‘catch’ gets you some points. If you can get the Chansey all the way in the back, you win automatically. Easy enough, right?”

Igglybuff pulled on Will’s ear and pointed to the Substitute plushie hanging on the side of the lane. The prize for winning. Will nodded, saying “Don’t worry, Puff. We’ll get you that one.” Nico just leaned against the counter and sighed, still not keen on being there.

Will payed the fee for five balls, which were decorated to look like PokéBalls, except they were just ordinary rubber. “Okay, we just need to get four Rhydon and one Magikarp. Shouldn’t be too hard.”

The man pushed a button and the targets began to move back and forth. Will picked up his first ball and took aim for the Magikarp target, which was a stone toss away. The shot nailed the target without a hitch. Igglybuff cheered, waving its arms up.

“So now we just need to hit the Rhydon all the way back there …” Will looked at the targets, which were the second furthest away. They were moving pretty fast. Will picked up the second ball and tossed it, and it barely pinged off the Rhydon. Three more to go.

The third shot hit its mark directly, and Igglybuff began to jump up and down excitedly. Will prepped his fourth shot and threw it. The ball flew by the Rhydon and barely missed. Igglybuff sighed exasperatedly. Now Will would need to get the Chansey to win. But the thing was moving so fast, and the target was so small.

“Uh, I don’t think I’m going to hit it, Iggs.”

“Let me try.” Nico got off the counter and held out his hand, waiting for Will to give him the ball.

Will passed it to him, surprised that Nico would want to try at all. At least he wasn’t being mopey.

Nico grasped the ball firmly and watched the Chansey zoom back and forth before reeling his arm back and throwing it like a true Trainer. The ball flew forward with a _swoosh_ and hit the Chansey, bouncing off. Igglybuff cheered and hopped forward, happily dancing on the counter.

The rest of the night went by too quickly for Will’s taste. After they got Igglybuff its plushie, Nico lightened up. Or rather, he was more willing to join Will in the fun. Will won a Super Rod at the fishing contest, and thankfully the thing could retract into a six-inch pole, so that he could carry it around. Nico was all over the different foods up for grabs to the point where Will had to lead him away before Nico could cause any more damage to the wide selection of food. It was a wonder how he did it.

As night time settled, they returned to the stage to see performances by the Pumpkaboo from earlier as they danced and put on a light show. It was much prettier than the foggy Pumpkaboos from earlier.

When 10 PM rolled around, the group of people began to die down as they headed towards home. Igglybuff gave out a big yawn, which Will took as a cue for they themselves to head back. Will took the bag of candy Igglybuff was carrying and turned to Nico.

Nico nodded and together they walked in the direction of the PokéCenter. Walking down the half-lit road and away from all the noise of the carnival, the pair walked in silence, carrying their respective Pokemon. Will was pretty tired, but otherwise relaxed and pleasant.

It wasn’t long before they arrived at the PokéCenter. Before Will could open the door, Nico spoke up. “Hey Will, thanks for today. I had fun.”

Will smiled as he opened the door. “I had fun too.” He held the door open for Nico to step inside. Before stepping into the building, he looked down the path back to the town center, where he could make out the carnival lights and figures moving around.

This Fall Festival had definitely been the best one Will had ever gone to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~I'm super exhausted friends. Finals are around the corner but thankfully nothing's gotten overbearing yet. I just don't have the time for much of anything. I can promise a chapter update on the 13th and the 4th, and hopefully, I can get a few bounding leaps over the break.~~  
> 
> ~~Currently on hiatus! We'll be chugging along again on January 1st!~~
> 
>  
> 
> Hello, reader! If you've made it this far, thank you for sticking with it! As you can tell above, the story was on hiatus from Nov. 6th to Jan. 1st, so I apologize for any disparities in style, dialogue or otherwise as I readjust to writing again.
> 
> Cheers!


	17. Steep Hill Down

Will watched Nico battle a trainer from his spot on a boulder not too far away. The day was windy, reflecting Will’s glum emotions. The last few days had gone, more or less, downhill and into a ditch. Then run over by a hoard of Tauros and Rhydons. After the Fall Festival, they had taken another day to let Nico train and prepare for the Gym challenge. Nico had been fairly confident, as he always seemed to be. Will wasn’t all that worried, either. In hindsight, he should have.

But whatever the case, the following day, Nico’s challenge went in a complete one-eighty. It wasn’t even a fight, Will admitted to himself. Lou Ellen’s Pokémon were fast, unforgiving, and untouchable. Nico didn’t land even a scratch. Before Will could keep track of any battle stats, the challenge had ended.

Will sighed, remembering the raw emotion of frustration and anger that rolled off Nico. He hadn’t uttered a sentence, or much of anything. It was kind of scary. But Will could also tell from the tint of red on Nico’s face and the look of _hurt_ hidden under blankets of bitterness that Nico wasn’t mad. Not fully.

Nico had been distraught and worn out. Will figured it was deeper than that, but Nico wasn’t all that easy to read. It was even harder now, since the stubborn trainer had fixed himself into a serious attitude. And that really, _really_ frustrated Will. All that progress they had made during the Fall Festival had dissipated away. Nico was more distant than ever.

Will was shaken out of his thoughts by Igglybuff, who had taken to poking him on the shoulder impatiently.

“What’s up, buddy?” Will asked patiently, even though some tiredness reflected in his voice.

“Buff!” Igglybuff gestured towards the town, making a pouty face. The Pokémon evidently didn’t want to stay around much longer. Probably as bored as Will was.

“Sorry, Iggs. We gotta wait for Nico to finish his battling.” Will glanced over to Nico off in the distance, who had now moved on to another trainer. This was his 20th battle, roughly, counting rematches but excluding wild battles.

Igglybuff pouted and looked at Will with a questioning expression. “Igg,” was its simple reply.

Will rubbed his temple and pulled his hood over his head, feeling the temperature getting colder. In part, Igglybuff was in the right to be impatient. Nico had been battling and battling, day after day. It was getting monotonous. But Will couldn’t really blame him. After all, it had been his first loss in the League Challenge. It must have hit his ego pretty hard. But still …

“Ah, I wouldn’t worry too much about him.”

The voice that suddenly spoke next to him made Will jump out of his skin, and he almost fell off his place on the rock.

“Wow, sorry. Should have knocked first or something,” Lou Ellen said, trying to stifle a laugh. The Gym Leader leaned against the rock, apparently popping out of nowhere. “ _That’s certainly not creepy at all”,_ Will thought.

“Haha … hey,” Will awkwardly replied. Igglybuff waived its stubby hand in a greeting. Will felt slightly irked that Lou Ellen’s sudden appearance hadn’t fazed the little puff.

“Hey yourself,” Lou Ellen waggled her fingers to Igglybuff, amused at the Pokémon. The Gym Leader settled in a relaxed position against the rock as she turned to look in Nico’s direction. She was wearing faded black jeans with a simple grey shirt, patterned with black Unowns on the sleeves. “Has he said much of anything the last few days?”

“… No, not really,” Will hesitated. “He’s ... kept to himself a lot. Hasn’t stopped battling for a few days.”

“Like I said, I wouldn’t worry too much. Most upcoming trainers go through a phase after their first true loss. It’s a roller-coaster ride. He’ll come around.”

“Hm,” Will mused. “Thanks for the update.”

Will wasn’t sure why he was being so blunt. Granted, he wasn’t all smiles all the time, but he wasn’t one to be anything less than courteous. Maybe he was just in a bad mood.

Igglybuff rolled around aimlessly, trying ruthlessly to get Will’s attention. After a short pause, Will pulled out Hoppip’s PokéBall and called the Pokémon out. Hoppip hovered joyfully before greeting Igglybuff.

“Why don’t you two go and find something to do? I saw a flower patch a little way over there,” Will said, pointing down the path to the town. Both Pokémon nodded and set off together, leaving Will and Lou Ellen alone. Off in the distance, Will could hear the sounds of Nico’s battling.

A silent moment passed before Lou Ellen spoke up again. “Ya know, you should try helping him out.”

“I have. I’ve been helping him train and battle and all that stuff.”

Lou Ellen shook her head, saying “No, not that kind of help. More of like … helping him refocus.”

Will furrowed his brow, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Well, he’s too focused down on winning, and that’s creating tunnel vision, which is dangerous for a trainer.”

It made sense, in a way. Except, it was way off the mark, in Will's opinion. Nico was competitive, but he was also really observant. It wasn’t like him to get _too_ into it. Not enough to get tunnel-vision, like Lou Ellen was saying.

“He’s never done that, though,” Will replied.

Lou Ellen nodded in understanding. “But he did this time. I’m sure you must have noticed it.”

Thinking back to the challenge, Will did recall something different. Of course, there was frustration and nervousness from not being able to land an attack, sure, but Nico had also started to look at the stands more and more often. Simple glances at first that turned more frantic the longer the battle went on. There were more than a few times where Nico would lock eyes with Will for a fraction of a second.

_‘Almost as if he thought I was … judging him?’_

“Anyways, ” Lou Ellen said, interrupting Will’s thoughts, “that’s actually not why I’m here. On a _completely_ unrelated note, I wanted to let you know that a Joy stopped by at the PokéCenter while I was visiting today. They said they were leaving a note in case a ‘young Mr. William Solace’ happened to stop by. That's you, right” Lou Ellen pulled a neatly folded slip of paper, with a gold ‘A’ emblazoned on the front. "It's not every day a big magnate like Apollo takes notice on a guy your age."

Will groaned internally. _‘Oh no, come on,’_ he thought.

“So, with that, I’ll be on my way. See you, Will.” Lou Ellen waved before standing straight and passing the note to Will. “You’d think, after revolutionizing the Pokémon Center industry, Apollo would find a better way to communicate than with _letters_.”

Will flipped the letter in his hands. “Yeah … hey, thanks Lou –” Will stopped when he noticed Lou Ellen had disappeared into thin air. Again.

 

* * *

 

Nico pulled out his last Potion. Murkrow had just finished a battle against a trainer and was battle-worn, but the Pokémon was still willing to keep battling. Nico was grateful for that. They couldn’t slow down their training, not after the Gym Challenge. He had to help his Pokémon get stronger and more experienced.

As Nico applied the Potion to Murkrow, he got lost again in the same thoughts he had been having for a few days. The feeling of embarrassment and chagrin were still fresh, a burning wave of heat through his cheeks. He had looked like an idiot. Wiped on the floor like an amateur trainer who didn’t even understand the concept of evasion and accuracy. The worst part: Will was there to witness it all.

That was the most infuriating part for Nico. He had to stop and wonder when he had started to care about what Solace thought about him, and _why._ Will was a trusted companion, sure, but rarely did Nico care about what other people thought about his battles. If it was Hazel in those stands, or his step-mother, he would have brushed it off and tried better next time.

Murkrow squawked, spreading its wings to get Nico’s attention. The Pokémon looked revitalized and chipper, ready to take on a few more battles. Nico hesitated, though. Around him, there was nothing but a patch of grass, with a few trainers down the road. It was starting to get cold, though, and he had lost sight of Will after going through the winding route in search of challenges. Cubone sat against the base of a log, dozing off after a few hours of battling.

“Let’s stop for a while. Then we’ll head back, alright?” Nico tapped his shoulder and motioned to the log. The Pokémon perched itself on Nico’s shoulder in a swift motion and settled itself as Nico walked back to the log. Nico set his bag down and leaned against the log slowly, careful not to wake Cubone.

The Pokémon hadn’t taken the loss nearly as bad as Nico had, which only confused Nico even more. The pair usually shared similar gripes and reactions to nearly everything, which was one of the reasons they worked so well together. But Cubone had just shrugged it off after the initial pang of defeat.

Nico sighed heavily. It was going to be another long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year, reader!
> 
> I'm truly sorry this went on hiatus for so long, but we're back now.
> 
> Since it's been so long, I've had some time to reinforce some story elements, and this chapter is mainly to refocus and solidify some opposing conflict. Can't have Nico going on a 8-Gym win streak, lest we get bored. Also to build on our heroes' depth some more.
> 
> Next up: Some chit-chats and pep talks
> 
> Cheers!


	18. A Familiar Face

Another day, the same routine. Again, Nico had left before Will woke up, and again, he had left the same note. ‘Route 6 – Nico’ was scrawled messily on a different slip of notepaper, letting Will know that Nico had gone to do the same thing as the day before, and the day before that.

As Will got up and dressed himself for the cold, he decided that he was going to change that today. He still had to worry about his dad, but today wasn’t the say for that. It wasn’t too cold, judging by the window view outside. A few clouds, but the mellow glow of morning sunlight managed to shine through the clouds in patches here and there. Maybe a sign of better days, Will hoped.

“Iggs, up and at ‘em,” Will said, lifting the blanket covering a sleeping Igglybuff. The Pokemon pried one eye open before closing it. It let out a long “buuuff” in complaint, tossing around lazily. Will couldn’t blame the little guy. It _was_ too early considering how late they had gone to sleep the day before.

“C’mon, Buffles. I’ll buy you some waffles or something,” Will said as he nudged the blanketed ball. Igglybuff wasn’t convinced, though. A simple “buhh” was enough to tell Will that nothing was going to get the Pokemon on its feet. If waffles didn’t do the trick, nothing would.

So Will sighed in defeat and pulled on his trusty orange sweater before setting up his bag with clothes and rags, pulling up the zippers to create an opening at the top. Will carefully picked Igglybuff up in its blanket and lay the Pokemon in the bag, making sure the bundle of clothes lay firm enough to keep Igglybuff there.

It wasn’t long before Will made it out to the city outskirts again. He had stuffed a few snacks from the duffel bag into his jean pockets, so he was ready to stick it out by the usual boulder until he could figure out how he wanted to talk to Nico.

He could see Nico off in the distance, vaguely. Since no one else had the sense to be out battling on the Route so early in the morning, he was in a patch of grass battling some wild Pokemon. Will let out a huff, climbing onto the rock as slowly as possible, careful not to disturb Igglybuff.

A few quite minutes of morning buzz passed by before Will heard footsteps on the dirt road headed toward him. Will looked in the direction of the road and saw someone walking down the path. The stranger walked by with a friendly nod but not much else. Will was honestly taken aback slightly. The guy was young, but definitely older than Will. He had jet-black hair and a tall frame, but the thing that stood out to Will was the calm, fierce gaze from the deepest color of sea green Will had ever seen.

 

* * *

 

 

“All right, Cubone. Finish this up with a Headbutt,” Nico said, pointing towards a weakened Marill. Cubone delivered a swift bash, the skull on its head glowing red from using its Rock Head ability. Nico felt satisfied so far. Cubone had really gotten used to using its ability to the max, attacking recklessly for the extra damage that would eventually come in handy.

While it was true that Cubone’s attacks got significantly less accurate, that exchange was something Nico would risk when the situation called for it. The Marill recovered from fainting quickly before scurrying back into the grass where it had come from. The wild Pokemon in the area were persistent and packed a punch, something that Nico found useful for training at the moment.

Right as Nico was about to look for another wild Pokemon to battle, Cubone turned around to look at a something behind Nico. Before Nico could see what Cubone was looking at, a voice called out to him.

“Nico?”

Somewhere in Nico’s stomach, he could feel a weight shift uncomfortably, but he wasn’t quite sure why. The voice sounded vaguely familiar but very different. It almost sounded like someone he knew a long time ago. Someone he had forgotten about.

Nico turned around, greeted by a familiar but different face. As he got closer, the resemblance was immediate. Nico could recognize that look even after all these years.

“Percy.”

Percy grinned, taking a few jogging steps forward. “Nico, it is you! It’s been forever! Where’ve you been?”

“Oh, you know. Around,” Nico replied. It had been a long time. He hadn’t seen Percy since before moving in with his step-mom. Before Bianca. Nico sighed, thinking ‘ _Here we go again.’_

It wasn’t like he disliked Percy. Nico had admired him and even _liked_ him the way kids get crushes all the time. And then ‘the incident’ happened and Nico had distanced himself from everyone, especially Percy. Over time those scars healed, though, and Nico put it past him. It was Percy who had asked Bianca and Nico to hang out with him, though he couldn’t have known. Had he not asked, they wouldn’t have been outside for Bianca to be …

“So how’ve you been? Uh, better, I hope? With things?” Percy said, obviously trying but failing to skirt around obvious topics. Percy had always lacked tact.

“Yeah. I’m taking a journey, actually. Around Olympia,” Nico gestured over to Cubone, “This is my partner, Cubone.”

Percy nodded along and looked over at the Pokemon, saying, “Cool. A Cubone, huh? Not a traditional partner Pokemon. I hear they’re hard to raise.”

Cubone squinted but otherwise didn’t give any reaction.

“Anyways,” Nico said, “what brings you here?”

“Oh I’m just roaming the region again. It gets pretty boring back home and I thought I’d visit Professor Chiron again and seeing all the new Gym Leaders. They’re all pretty cool people.”

Nico gave a hum of understanding, as he noticed Will a little ways back the route. After a moment of silence, Nico started, “Are you going to keep going, or?”

Percy nodded. “Yeah, but wanna have a battle before I head out? It’s the least we could do. I’m training a new team and they’d love to get some experience in,” Percy said, tapping the PokeBalls on his belt.

 

~

“One vs. one, no items?” Percy called out from a sizable distance away.

“Sure,” Nico called back, taking out Murkrow’s PokeBall. Percy had a thing for Water-types, so off the bat, Cubone was going to have a type-disadvantage. Off in the distance, to the left, Nico could still see Will sitting against the rock. He did his best to avoid Will’s questioning looks, but it really wasn’t working.

Nico felt nervous. He couldn’t decide if it was because of battling Percy, or something else.  Whatever it was, he was going to do his best to ignore it.

Nico threw Murkrow’s PokeBall into action, letting the bird Pokemon fly out in a loop before it landed on the makeshift playing field.

“A Murkrow, nice,” Percy nodded in approval. He then unhooked the first Ball on his belt and called out his choice. In a flash of red light, the Pokemon slid outward, revealing itself to be a penguin-like Pokemon with yellow crests and a feather down that resembled a dress shirt.

Nico held out his wrist and turned on his Monitor, using the Pokédex function for the first time in his journey. The Monitor displayed a few stats and details, along with a model and illustration of the Pokemon. The Pokemon, named Prinplup, was a water type (figures) that wasn’t native to anywhere but a small island off the shores of Olympia. A very rare Pokemon.

“You get the first move,” Percy yelled.

Nico switched to the battle mode of the Monitor, pulling up all the stats for the battle. Prinplup was more or less the same level as Murkrow, meaning the battle would be a fair fight. Nico looked over to Will, who was now looking intently in their direction. A fair fight meant that if he lost, it was because of his own lack of skill.

‘ _Don’t start, Nico,’_ he chided himself, ‘ _Keep it together.’_

“Alright, Murkrow. Peck!”

Murkrow took to the skies and quickly looped into an attack, its beak glowing white as it rocketed towards Prinplup.

‘ _Murkrow’s speed is getting better. Yes.’_

Percy didn’t send out a command, instead looking at Murkrow with a determined look. As Murkrow came in for the attack, Percy yelled, “Now! Metal Claw!”

Prinplup lashed out with metallic-glowing flippers, knocking Murkrow away. “Chase after it!” Prinplup lunged forward as Murkrow attempted to recover from the blow.

“Murkrow look out!”

The Pokemon had little time to react as Prinplup slashed with a flipper. Luckily, the swipe was just below Murkrow, giving the Pokemon time to retaliate with a gust of wind from its wings. Prinplup struggled to keep its balance, giving Murkrow an opening.

“Haze-Astonish combo, let’s go!” Nico yelled. The attack was something he’d developed over the last few days. He’d figured out the more surprised a Pokemon was, the more damage they would take from an Astonish attack. Something Murkrow was ready to exploit.

The bird Pokemon flapped its wings as they radiated a murky haze that settled in a concentrated area around Prinplup. Percy’s Pokemon disappeared into the haze while Murkrow circled above it before diving in itself.

“Prinplup, get out of there,” Percy yelled. “Ice Beam in every direction!”

A barrage of Ice Beams shot out randomly from the haze, but the Monitor didn’t read a hit on Murkrow. Finally, after a few seconds, Murkrow cawed and an attack was heard. Prinplup’s health a good amount. Moments later, Murkrow shot out with glowing yellow eyes, a side effect of its attack.

“Duh, of course!” Percy shook his head. “Prinplup, Icy Wind!”

The haze dispersed rapidly as gusts of chilly air radiated from the center. The burst of air made Murkrow shudder slightly, chipping a bit of its health off on the Monitor.

“Wow, that’s pretty awesome, Nico! I’ve got some tricks too, though,” Percy called, “Prinplup, Water Sport, then double down on the Metal Claw attacks!”

Prinplup let out a gush of water over itself, covering itself and the pavement in water.

‘ _What are you planning…’_ Nico thought, trying to wrap his head around Percy’s move choices. Water Sport was such a useless move. Murkrow didn’t even have any Fire-type moves.

“Murkrow, use Night Shade, and stay back.”

Murkrow started its move but stopped in surprise as Prinplup rapidly slid towards Murkrow on its stomach. Prinplup was using the water to move more quickly.

The Pokemon sped towards Murkrow. Nico heard Percy yell, “Waterfall!” and a cascade of water lifted Prinplup into the air. Prinplup attacked Murkrow with two swift Metal Claws, sending Murkrow down to the ground.

Prinplup didn’t stop there. As soon as it landed, it continued its attacks, pushing Murkrow further away.

_‘Oh no. This is bad.’_

“Uh, Murkrow, get up! Dodge the attacks!”

Murkrow flew backward, squawking in frustration. Prinplup lashed out once more in a non-stop barrage of Metal Claws. Murkrow hastily dodged them, but each move was getting harder to dodge.

Nico couldn’t think. Percy’s battling was relentless. There wasn’t an opening, there was nothing he could do. Nico glanced over at Will. He looked worried, or upset, or worse, disdainful. He couldn’t lose _again_. But he couldn’t win.

“Uh, Murkrow – Pursuit!”

The Pokemon hesitated but obeyed, its attack weak and without resolve. The attack hit but not without getting hit by Prinplup in return. Nico looked down to the Monitor. The attack had done nothing, and Murkrow was hanging on by a thread.

_Of course_ Pursuit didn’t do anything, Prinplup wasn’t retreating. Nico cursed.

Nico didn’t have time to think again before Prinplup landed the last attack, hitting Murkrow squarely against the beak.

Nico’s Monitor jingled a tune to signify the end of the battle.

 

~

 

Percy had turned to leave, giving Nico words of encouragement, and wishing him luck on his journey and challenges. “Keep it up, Nico,” he said, “You’ll get there,” Percy promised to catch up with him at a later day.

Nico stood in the spot where he had called Murkrow back. As the adrenaline from the battle faded, he felt Will looking at him. He felt his face heat up. Head hung low, Nico started towards the city, crossing the field.

“Nico! Wait!”

Nico hesitated before stopping. After a bit of thought, Nico figured he owed Will an apology.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty sure Percy will be back. Most likely. Definitely. 
> 
> Next up: Gym Battle!


	19. Gym Challenge: Lou Ellen

Nico didn’t think he would feel so calm and collected the next time he was here. The formal, deceivingly ordinary yet eerie ambiance of the Gym wasn’t all that inviting if Nico was honest, although he had no problem with it. He hadn’t put much thought into it, but he supposed the setting would only make him feel more on-edge.

But that wasn’t the case, not today. He was ready, focused, and prepared to give it his all in the coming Gym Challenge. It was all thanks to the traveling partner standing next to him, Nico had to admit. Will and he had sat down and talked. It wasn’t a conversation Nico had expected at all. Nico had been determined to apologize for acting like an idiot the last few days, but Will waved that away.

It was just that: talking. Talking about nothing in particular but about everything they hadn’t said in the last few days. Eventually, the conversation had turned to battling. Nico got carried away describing the new techniques he and his Pokemon had developed and what Nico wanted to work on, and about taking advantage of Murkrow’s agility and Cubone’s strength. A shred of negativity slipped his tongue, though, and Nico found himself expressing the worries that had filled his mind since the first challenge.

 _‘Nico, I don’t think you’re weak,’_ Will had said. _‘You’re pretty talented and an awesome trainer. But everyone faces obstacles sooner or later. It’s okay to stutter or fail. That’s how you grow and overcome them. I just hope you’ll let me support you along the way. That’s what partners do, right?’_

It had felt like an enormous weight had been lifted off Nico’s chest. He hadn’t really stopped to think that Will wasn’t judging him at all. He felt silly for having even considered it.

After some waffle-eating (Nico had suddenly gotten the urge to eat the biggest stack of waffles the town had to offer shortly after) and a day of training with Will’s guidance (which included periodic episodes of “Where Did Igglybuff Go?”), Nico felt more than prepared for the Gym Challenge.

The difference this time was that he was going to keep his focus, however bad the battle got, as per Will’s advice.

The lobby doors creaked open slowly, and a younger trainer peeked their head out. “Hey, Miss Lou Ellen says you can come in now,” he said, before going back into the room and grumbling to himself. Lou Ellen’s Gym had something the last two didn’t before: Gym apprentices, who were training under the current Gym Leader in hopes of becoming a mastered Trainer themselves. At least, that’s what Lou Ellen had told them on their first visit.

Nico and Will followed the trainer, who walked at a decent pace ahead. The hallway forked too many times to count, and Nico didn’t want to lose sight of the trainer, unless he wanted to get lost in this place.

As they walked, Nico wondered about why Hestia didn’t have any apprentices. She seemed like the kind of person who would welcome trainers to learn under her. It made sense why the Gym Leader Leo didn’t have apprentices, in a way. The guy had really big personality; he didn’t seem like the kind of person to have much patience with that kind of stuff anyway.

Finally, they reached the main battling chamber, a large empty room with a sweeping view of absolutely nothing but barren walls, a cement floor, and a single wooden bench meant for spectators.

Will gave him a thumbs-up before he walked over to the viewer’s area, with Igglybuff tucked snuggly in his jacket. Cubone, who had been keeping to itself during the walk through the halls, stepped up towards Nico. The Pokemon seemed to have become more confident in its abilities. Will’s words came back to Nico from yesterday, _‘A Pokémon’s performance depends on the Trainer’s faith and confidence. When you start to panic, Pokemon tend to do worse in battle’_. So, the general idea was to keep his cool, and Cubone and Murkrow would keep cool, too.

“We’re gonna need Murkrow for the beginning, alright? Then you can take a shot,” Nico said to Cubone. The Pokemon nodded in agreement.

After a few minutes of nothing but the echoes of the room, Nico shifted on his feet and looked over to Will. Will gave him another thumbs-up and a smile, which made Nico feel more at ease. Before Nico could return the favor, Lou Ellen’s voice made him jump.

“Welcome back! I’m glad you decided to challenge the Gym again,” she said, apparently popping into the room without her footsteps echoing or making much noise at all. She stood on the defender’s side of the field, dressed in a sleeveless hoody and rugged jeans.  Her choppy hair had a streak of green today. “Ready to start the rematch? Remember, the rules are no items and you’re allowed your whole party to battle.”

“Sure,” Nico replied, unhooking Murkrow’s Pokeball from his belt.

Lou smiled, pulling a Pokeball from her sweater pocket. “Let’s begin then!”

With a snap of her fingers, the Pokeball in her hand released her Pokemon with a red glow as the room turned dark, making it hard to see. All exactly the same as last time. The Haunter that flew out of the PokeBall stuck its tongue out at Nico before dissipating into the floor in a poof of shadowy smoke.

‘ _Here we go,’_ Nico thought. Will’s voice rung through his head, ‘ _Keep a level head, focus on what you want to achieve, and you’ll do just fine.’_

Nico tossed out his Pokeball, releasing Murkrow onto the battlefield. Nico’s Monitor flashed brightly as it loaded up the stats for the battle. Both Haunter and Murkrow’s health bars slid onto the screen.

Lou Ellen gestured to Nico in a welcoming bow. “As always, the challenger gets the first attack.”

The battlefield was all but empty except for Murkrow, and Haunter was nowhere to be seen. There wasn’t anything _to_ attack. But Lou had done this last time, and Nico was more prepared.

“Murkrow, set up a Haze above the battlefield, but be careful,” Nico said, pointing at upwards. No doubt Lou Ellen was going to start her onslaught of attacks, and Murkrow would be better off in cover. Murkrow created a haze that sprawled across the ceiling, billowing in black puffs. The Pokemon quickly flew into the haze, leaving the battlefield eerily quiet.

Lou Ellen didn’t rush to make any moves, instead choosing to wait. A shadowy blob emerged from the floor, revealing the form of Haunter. The Pokemon floated lazily across the room. It was obviously a trick or some sort of trap, but with little choice other than to take it, Nico issued his next attack.

“Murkrow, Peck!”

After a moment, Murkrow burst out of the haze, nose-diving towards Haunter at breakneck speed. The Haunter kept moving lazily about, until Lou shouted, “Haunter, Sucker Punch!”

For a split second Nico thought Haunter’s reaction time wasn’t fast enough, but right as Murkrow made contact, Haunter dissipated, then reappeared behind Murkrow and delivering a glowing punch across Murkrow’s back and disappearing again.

Murkrow steadied itself and headed back into the haze, but Haunter reappeared again and tried to attack again. Luckily, Murkrow dodged it looped back to deliver a jab with its beak before flying away. Murkrow didn’t take too much damage and was able to give some back, although it wasn’t as much as a normal attack would have done.

It wasn’t the most ideal of situations, but so far, they were doing much better than the first time.

Focus.

 

* * *

 

 

It was such a relief to see that things were going smoothly. Or, smoother than last time, at the very least. Lou Ellen looked like she was taking it slower, too.

It didn’t, however, stop Will from clinging to the edge of his seat, lurching from side to side as Murkrow barreled left and right avoiding attacks. True to the name of an illusionist, Lou’s Pokemon were tricky and hard to pinpoint. Will pulled Igglybuff in closer as they watched the Pokemon dance around each other, skirting and launching attacks.

Nico’s and Lou’s commands became background noise as the Pokemon zipped every which way. Little by little, Murkrow was able to fit in meager attempts at attacks, chipping away at Haunter’s health while being able to evade Haunter’s. Slowly but surely, Murkrow was winning the battle.

Nico looked determined, focused, and absorbed into the battle. Finally, his usual self. _‘Thank gods,’_ Will thought.

The battle continued in a hard-to-follow blur of shouts and tension as Nico fought to find any major faults in Lou’s defense to crack. The moment finally came when Haunter overreached in its attack, making it lurch off-balance. Murkrow quickly double-backed and in a blink of the eye, struck Haunter with a fierce Pursuit attack. The result was Haunter hurtling towards the ground, taking a large chunk of health off.

 _‘Yes! Just what they neede- huh?’_ Will’s thought was derailed as Haunter disappeared into a poof of mist that swirled before receding into the floor.

Will looked down at his own Battle Monitor in confusion. Haunter’s health bar, which had been about one-thirds full, was replaced with a full health bar. Even more confused, Will snapped his attention to Lou, who was simply stretching casually as a loud silence settled through the chambers.

The mist from before reemerged in front of Lou, swirling upwards. It kept building up until it formed an enormous, formidable figure, easily seven or eight feet tall. The mist solidified into a bulky, ash-grey Pokemon that soon created a singular bright red eye on its head.

Will fumbled with his Monitor, pulling the Dex function up. The Monitor brought up an entry for the Pokemon named Dusknoir. The entry read: “According to old folklore, it was believed to use its supernatural powers to guide souls to the Underworld”. Fun.

Will quickly swiped into the Breeder-specific program as he heard the battle start up again. Swiping furiously to find Dusknoir (the whole search feature was convoluted, in his desperate opinion), Will looked up slightly to see Murkrow circling the opponent. A few moments later, Will found all the information he was looking for. The graphics showed that Dusknoirs tended to be slow but powerful, with spectacular defenses with low vitality. They also had an incredible ability to learn a wide variety of moves. Apparently, the species can be difficult to raise in areas with a lot of people, but surprisingly good with kids.

Will focused back to the battle, where Murkrow was holding up, but not that well. Dusknoir had taken scrapes of damage, but Murkrow had a bit of HP left. Murkrow definitely had the speed advantage, but Dusknoir was patient, waiting for the Pokemon to get close rather than chasing Murkrow around. Nico’s Pokemon was getting tired as a result, and its moves were getting slower and sloppier.

“Gravity!” Lou shouted.

Dusknoir’s body opened like a mouth, revealing a dark void that soon created a black sphere that spun rapidly. The battlefield borders emitted pink light as Will felt the weight of the room get heavier. The effect must have been much stronger in the battlefield itself, too, since Murkrow suddenly dropped like a Ninjask.

Will watched as Dusknoir walked up to Murkrow, pinned to the ground, and delivered a striking blow with a spectral-imbued fist.

Murkrow’s health plummeted down to zero. Brutal.

Nico called Murkrow back and switched in Cubone after a short conversation that Will didn’t catch. The plus to this match-up was that it was a power contest. The downside was that it was a power contest that Cubone might not have been ready for. Murkrow had been the center of attention the last few days since Nico had been heavily banking on speed, so Cubone wasn’t _as_ prepared as it could have been.

Not that Will doubted Cubone, but still.

The battle was much easier to follow, but still nerve-wracking. Dusknoir attacked with powerful elemental punches and Shadow Balls, which Cubone made an effort to dodge and counter with Bone Club attacks.

“Dusknoir, let’s put a little bit more pressure on our guests. Curse!”

Lou’s Pokemon made an eerie, spine-shivering laugh as its eye changed to a vile green. A sickly green aura surrounded Cubone, causing the Pokemon to flinch. On Will’s monitor, Dusknoir lost an enormous chunk of HP while Cubone got a “Cursed” status.

“Shadow Sneak, Dusknoir!”

The Pokemon melted into a shadowy blob on the ground, speeding towards Cubone.

“Steady, Cubone,” Nico commanded.

When Dusknoir’s shadow got dangerously close to Cubone, Nico yelled, “Jump!”

Cubone leapt into the air as Dusknoir emerged from its shadow in a grabbing motion. The Ghost-type tried to follow but was interrupted by another Bone Club attack. Cubone leapt off the Pokemon and retreated to the other side of the field. But Cubone’s cursed aura flared up, weakening Cubone and taking a chunk of health with it.

“Shadow Punch!”

A detached spectral fist slammed into Cubone, knocking it over. The Pokemon struggled to get up as the aura grew stronger still. It was becoming difficult for Cubone to even keep its balance. Dusknoir slowly glided to Cubone, staring almost sadistically.

Nico called words of encouragement to Cubone as the Pokemon shook its head. Cubone’s health kept depleting slowly, and Will guessed that the battle would be over soon.

“Shadow Punch, again!” Lou called out.

Cubone made a half-hearted attempt to dodge the attack, but again the shadowy-fist appeared out of nowhere and knocked Cubone down.

 _‘C’mon, Cubone. You can do it,’_ Will thought. He shifted in his seat, having half the mind to loosen his grip on Igglybuff, who was too enthralled in the battle to notice.

“Cubone, calm down,” Nico called. “Focus and breathe.”

Cubone got up, breathing harshly. Its HP whittled down even more. Dusknoir was less than 20 feet away.

“We can do this. You can do this,” Nico continued. Cubone steadied its breath and gripped its bone with resolve. The Pokemon simply stood there, unmoving. As Dusknoir drew closer, Will wanted to yell for Cubone to move and run, but he kept himself quiet. Nico wasn’t issuing any commands, either.

Cubone seemed to find some calm, because its health was depleting at a slower rate, and the cursed aura died down a bit. In fact, it looked like the Pokemon was in some sort of deep focus, at least to Will. Meditative, almost.

As Dusknoir inched closer, Lou Ellen shouted, “Let’s finish this! Ice Punch!”

Dusknoir’s fist became encased in a frost as it wound up for the finishing blow. Dusknoir brought its fist slamming down on Cubone, but in a burst of speed Cubone lunged forward and thrust its bone against Dusknoir’s body.

Dusknoir stumbled and fell on the floor, its body still positioned for attack. But the Monitor showed a completely depleted HP bar, followed by a chime reading, “It was a critical hit!”.

Cubone’s curse lifted, leaving it with a sliver of health. The Pokemon looked worn out and tired, and it lay down against its bone. The room echoed with the final blow of the battle, and for a moment nobody moved nor said anything. It wasn’t until Igglybuff cheered happily in Will’s arms that Will let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

Before any more celebration could happen, though, Dusknoir disappeared into the same mist Haunter had disappeared into. It swirled before disappearing entirely. Almost immediately, a shimmer of light fazed next to Lou Ellen, like a distortion. It shimmered more until a Mime Jr. warped into visibility. If Will recalled correctly, it was the Mime Jr. from the Fall Festival.

“Wow, I’m impressed!” Lou Ellen declared casually. “It isn’t every day someone beats Mime Jr.’s illusions.”

It took a second for that to register for Will. Illusions?

“I’m sorry, but did you just say illusions? As in, those two Pokemon weren’t actually real?”

Lou Ellen smiled proudly, saying, “Nope. You were actually ever only battling Mime Jr. here. Pretty neat, right?”

Will’s only response was to stare, eyebrow raised, a bit taken aback from the comment. That Mime Jr. was no joke. Nico seemed to be thinking the same thing, considering he looked concerned at Mime Jr. The moment was short-lived, though, as Nico rushed toward Cubone and picked the Pokemon up gently.

Will ran off the stands with Igglybuff on his back, already pulling out a Potion to hand to Will. The celebration would have to wait until after the whole badge thing, but adrenaline was still pumping in Will’s ears.

 

* * *

 

 

Nico sighed loudly when they finally walked out of the Gym, badge in hand. Lou Ellen didn’t have much to say when she gave him the badge, unlike the last two Gym Leaders. She simply congratulated him, gave him the badge and a TM, and disappeared, but not before talking to Will about something. He hadn’t paid much attention, since the rush of winning still dazed him.

 The door on the opposite end of the challenger’s field led back to the main entrance of the building, however that worked. Nico didn’t want to think too much about it.

Nico held the badge up to the sunlight, taking a good look at it for the first time: two torches crossed together. _“When you find yourself stuck with a difficult choice,”_ Lou Ellen had said, _“remember to stop and look around. There’s always more to it if you choose to see it.”_

Nico adjusted the badge onto a cloth with his other badges. He planned to buy a wallet or something to store the badges in, soon, since he hadn’t had a chance to do that.

After a quick stop to the Pokemon Center, Nico found himself with Will and Igglybuff wandering the streets of the city, eventually reaching the outskirts of the city, where he had spent so much time training. Together, they eventually settled down in the middle of a field of grass that extended into shrubbery. The wind was starting to pick up in the evening, but Nico didn’t mind it all that much. He figured they would need to head out in the morning, but he wanted to spend as much time relaxing until then.

Eventually, Will let his Hoppip out so that Igglybuff had another Pokemon to be entertained with, since Murkrow and Cubone had stayed at the PokéCenter to get some much-deserved rest.

“How’re you feeling?” Will said. He was sitting to Nico’s left, not too far off.

“Great,” Nico replied. “Just a little tired.”

“I bet. I was dying in my seat and I wasn’t even battling.”

Nico shrugged. “It wasn’t that bad. Your advice helped. A lot, actually.”

Will shook his head. “You were already doing fine.”

“No really. You were a huge help. I don’t think I could have done this without you,” Nico said. “Or any of this. You mean a lot to me.”

Will hummed in response, picking at the grass at his side, before saying, “You mean a lot to me, too”. He pulled on a couple more blades of grass before quickly blurting, “I mean, for the experiences and all this … all these new places!” Will fumbled with his words. “It’s – it’s been so cool. I’m glad I decided to tag along”.

Nico silently agreed as he watched Igglybuff and Hoppip wander around the grass. He couldn’t imagine being in this same place, or taking on the Gyms, or walking through all the routes all alone. Part of him wondered if he would make it this far, or if he would be able to continue further. But somehow, he knew that he would be able to finish the League Challenge as things were now.

When the sun eventually started to sink past the horizon, Will gathered up his Pokemon and they started to head back. They walked slowly, with Igglybuff ahead of them, dimming and brightening itself with its Flash move that it was so fond of. There wasn’t any rush to get back, and Nico made a point to take slow steps, looking down at the road ahead.

He and Will walked back into town, close enough for their shoulders to brush together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to split this off into a second part (maybe a third when we get to it) to keep the tags organized (so there isn't a tag that applies _way_ farther down the line.
> 
> Look out for Part Two of the story, "Taking the Long Road", sometime in the future!
> 
> Until then, cheers!


End file.
